The sixth prosecution witness (PW6) in the murder case of Ousainou Bojang and his sister, Detective Ebou Sowe, said in court that the first defendant’s sister helped him flee.

Following a voir dire trial that put the main trial on hold, the witness stated as he resumed his testimony in the main trial.

Detective Sowe, the witness, was led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, A.M. Yusuf, during his main evidence presentation. A.M. Yusuf requested that Detective Sowe retell the statements that Ousainou Bojang provided on September 13, 14, and 15.


Ousainou Bojang admitted to the court his escape path out of the Gambia, which included his sister Amie Bojang, the second accused, helping him leave by supplying a C Class Benz car that drove him from their home in Brufut to Jiboro via the Transgambia road. Detective Sowe told the court of this.

Sowe went on to say that prior to leaving for Senegal, Ousainou acknowledged giving his sister a bag containing his passport from Senegal and his non-Gambian ID card. He also acknowledged that her sister had given him a car and a motorcycle—known as Jakarta in the local tongue—so he could go. According to Detective Sowe, after receiving the information, Ousainou’s testimony led to the arrest of Amie Bojang, the second accused.

Detective Sowe, who is still giving testimony, stated that questioning Amie Bojang, the second accused, helped detectives find the bag Ousainou left behind. The next day, the second suspect led detectives to taxi driver Abdoulie Drammeh, who attested to taking Ousainou to the Jiboro border with Gambia. Buba Manneh, the driver from Jakarta, also stated that she drove Ousainou to Senegal.

In addition, Detective Sowe reported that while the investigation went on, empty bullet cases were discovered at the scene of the crime and sent for ballistic testing. Detective Sowe said, “Lamin Fofana, a witness, saw people chasing someone wearing a kaftan. He wrestled the man down, and the man hit him with an object.” Later, a disassembled pistol was discovered in an empty field.

The man then carried on running. When he attempted to pursue the intruder, the man threw something at him, which hit the fence. Following a brief chase, he arrived to investigate the aforementioned object, only to discover that it was a pistol. Then he picked up the fragments, went into the vacant area, and flung them to the area where the investigators had discovered the pistol.

According to Detective Sowe, the forensic squad selected the pistol, received a witness statement from Lamin Fofana, and made a ballistic request to the defence headquarters for ballistic analysis.

Detective Sowe told the court that the aforementioned report was obtained during the investigation, that it was studied, and that it specifically confirmed, in paragraph 9, that the pistol seized at the crime site fired the empty bullet cases that were found there.

Detective Sowe was permitted to continue testifying by the presiding Judge despite the objections of the defence attorney to quoting the ballistic report.

Detective Sowe responded to a question from A.M. Yusuf, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), by saying that the bag found from the second accused during the inquiry was at the AG Chambers. Detective Sowe confirmed that he could identify the bag and its contents based on the bag’s colour and the documents that had the first accused’s name on them when asked.

In addition, Detective Sowe disclosed to the court that post-mortem reports for Pateh M. Jallow and Sang J. Gomez, the two police officers who passed away, had been delivered to the AG Chambers. He claimed to be able to identify the reports, adding that the Inspector General of Police had a copy of each report that included the name of the deceased.

at addition, Sowe stated that shoes, a kaftan, and a bucket that were found at the first accused’s home were also delivered to the AG Chambers. Detective Sowe responded that he could recognise the items by looking at their colours and packaging when asked if he could identify them.

The post-mortem reports were attempted to be entered into evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Defence attorneys, however, objected, claiming that Detective Sowe was not qualified to deliver the reports because he was not part in the examinations and lacked experience.

The DPP countered that the materials were admissible regardless of the objections and that anyone could offer them, not just the writers. In order to bolster his claim that such documents might be tendered through a police official such as Detective Sowe, he cited sections 45 of the Evidence Act and 136 of the CPC.

Since Detective Sowe was not the author of the reports, Justice Jaiteh interjected and voiced reservations about the fairness of cross-examining him on the papers. Recognising the significance of the documents, Justice Jaiteh chose to return them to the prosecution rather than rejecting them outright in order to respect the values of justice and equity and permit the physician to submit the paperwork.

Adjourned till March 25, 2024 was the case.