By: Tamba Steven Komba

Masiaka, 28th May 2026- What began as an ordinary night at Old Freetown Road in Masiaka Town suddenly turned into a nightmare that would leave an entire community traumatized.

The heartbreaking final words of Fatmata Conteh “Aunty…Aunty… PZ has killed me!” echoed painfully inside the Magistrate Court in Masiaka on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, as prosecutors laid out scary details surrounding her alleged murder.

Those emotional words, captured in witness statements and repeated during proceedings, instantly transformed the courtroom into a scene of grief, shock, and silence.

At the center of the disturbing case stood Santigie Conteh alias “P.Z,” the man accused of brutally stabbing Fatmata Conteh to death on 27th April 2026 in Masiaka Town, Koya Chiefdom, Port Loko Judicial District.

By the close of proceedings, Magistrate Harold Kamara had ruled that enough evidence existed to commit the accused to the High Court in Port Loko to answer to a charge of murder.

However, beyond the legal arguments and exhibits tendered before the court, it was the emotional weight of the prosecution’s evidence that deeply affected many who followed the matter.

Led by Sgt. 7716 Sesay A.M, the prosecution presented witness statements, medical reports, photographs of the deceased, the alleged murder weapon, and most ominously, the accused own confessionary statement.

According to court records tendered as Exhibit G1-G28, Santigie Conteh allegedly admitted to stabbing the deceased during a disagreement.

“I used the knife and stabbed her…”

The court further noted that the accused admitted the allegation against him was “true and correct.”

Moreover, in open court, the defendant reportedly declined to cross-examine prosecution witnesses and instead admitted that he stabbed and killed the deceased while pleading for mercy.

The ruling delivered by Magistrate Kamara painted a deeply disturbing account of the events leading to Fatmata Conteh’s death.

One of the prosecution’s principal witnesses, Zainab Kanu, reportedly told investigators that she heard the deceased screaming for help moments before she died.

According to the court: “PW1 thereafter saw the deceased bleeding from the neck before she later fell to the ground and died.”

Another witness, Idrissa Kargbo, corroborated the testimony and later assisted police investigators in recovering the knife allegedly used in the attack.

Additionally, the postmortem report and cause of death certificate tendered before the court confirmed that Fatmata Conteh died from injuries sustained during the stabbing.

Photographs shown to the court reportedly depicted the deceased lying in a pool of blood with visible wounds, while the alleged murder weapon, a stainless knife without a handle was also tendered as evidence.

Furthermore, the court observed that the accused allegedly fled after the incident and went into hiding at Rochin Village before he was eventually apprehended by the police.

Magistrate Kamara noted that such conduct “may amount to conduct from which an inference of guilt may arise,” though he emphasized that the final determination rests with the High Court.

In his ruling, the Magistrate stressed that the responsibility of the Magistrate Court at the committal stage is not to determine whether the accused is guilty or innocent, but to establish whether sufficient evidence exists for the matter to proceed to trial.

“The evidence presently before the court discloses a clear nexus between the defendant and the death of the deceased,” Magistrate Kamara ruled.

Consequently, pursuant to Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024, the court committed Santigie Conteh alias “P.Z” to stand trial before the High Court on a charge of murder contrary to Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 as replaced by the Abolition of Death Penalty Act No. 6 of 2022.

The accused was further ordered to remain in lawful custody pending his appearance before the High Court unless otherwise ordered by a judge of competent jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, across Masiaka, conversations surrounding the tragic death of Fatmata Conteh continue to dominate homes, streets, and marketplaces, with many residents describing the incident as one of the most heartbreaking and disturbing cases the township has witnessed in recent times.

For grieving relatives and shocked residents alike, Fatmata Conteh’s desperate cry for help now stands as the haunting symbol of a life violently cut short.