Commercial motorbike rider Bubacarr Manneh, who is from Marakisa in the West Coast Region, described in court how he travelled to bring the first accused, Ousainou Bojang, to Diouloulou in Cassamance, in the Southern Region of Senegal.

Six counts are brought against Ousainou Bojang, the first accused, including the killing of two Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers. Amie Bojang, the second accused, is accused of accessory after the fact of murder.

In his testimony, Babucarr Manneh, a native of Marakissa, a community on the edge of the West Coast Region (WCR), was the Eleventh Prosecution Witness (PW11) in court. Mr Manneh disclosed before the court that he had worked for numerous years as a commercial motorbike rider near the border between Senegal and the Gambia.

When asked if he was familiar with the accused, Mr. Manneh replied in the affirmative and went on to describe what had happened between them.

“Please think back to approximately nine months ago. Were there any events involving you or any of the accused individuals?” A.M. Yusuf, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), inquired.

Indeed, that was on Wednesday. My name was written on the book when I arrived at work. There, it is customary for us to join the queue. We remained seated until approximately 12:30 pm. Someone called and said they had a client for me. Upon arriving, I inquired about the client’s destination and was informed that they were heading to Diouloulou.

When I questioned the woman (Amie Bojang, the second accused), she admitted to me that, although she wasn’t going to Diouloulou, her client (Ousainou Bojang, the first accused) was. She inquired about the amount. I took D200 from her. Mr. Manneh said, “She informed me there was no problem and that she would give me D250 to take the client (Ousainou Bojang) since we are all the same.

The second accused, Amie Bojang, subsequently provided Mr. Manneh D250 to bring Ousainou Bojang to Diouloulou, according to what he told the court.

“Amie Bojang went to call Ousainou Bojang, the client. I asked the client to climb once he got out of the car, but at first he refused. He replied that he did have an ID card when I queried whether he didn’t, but I should wait for him to go in front. I informed Ousainou Bojang this because, typically, when we bring our clients to the police station, they go there and present their ID cards. Thus, I assumed that Ousainou Bojang did not possess an ID card, which explains why,” the motorcyclist said the judge.

Mr. Manneh went on to explain that Ousainou Bojang had told him that they had to make some arrangements before leaving. As an answer, Mr. Manneh recalled telling Ousainou Bojang to get what he needed and that they would go when he was ready.

I waited for a while after Ousainou Bojang informed me of this, and then I rode after him on my motorbike. We headed to Diouloulou after I requested him to get on the motorbike when I saw him standing there. I noticed he had a small water bottle in his hand when we first left. I didn’t notice any odd behaviour or signs of confusion from him when we were leaving. He didn’t say anything until we got to Diouloulou.

“Ousainou Bojang informed me he wanted to travel to Bingiona but didn’t know how to go there when we got there. I phoned the manager of the ticket-selling garage and informed him that this man, Ousainou Bojang, had expressed a desire to visit Bingiona, but he was unsure of where to go. Please assist him. He was invited to have a seat by the garage’s manager. That was the end of our talk. Then I turned around and walked away from him,” Mr. Manneh said in court.

Mr. Manneh agreed that he had been called in by the police to be questioned, but he denied having given them a statement.

Mr. Manneh told the court during cross-examination that he had not signed any documents when he went to the Police Station to be questioned.

Furthermore, Mr. Manneh told the court that he was unable to remember what Ousainou and Amie Bojang were wearing on that specific day.

The attorney for Amie Bojang, Counsel A. Sillah, questioned. “I am putting it to you that since you cannot recall the type of clothes the second accused person (Amie Bojang) wore, then if she is paraded before you, you cannot identify her.”

“I didn’t spend much time examining Amie Bojang’s attire that day, but as soon as I saw her, I knew who she was,” Mr. Manneh testified in court.

“I am arguing with you that everything you have said is untrue,” Attorney Sillah stated in court.

I’m being honest here. Mr. Manneh answered, “I wouldn’t lie, and I am repeating what I have seen to that effect.

Counsel Sillah informed the witness, “I am telling you that there was a promise of a D1 million reward for anyone who identified the accused, and this is why you came up with this story.”

But due to financial pressure, the witness declined to testify.

That is untrue. If I had to pick between the truth and money, I would go with the truth. Mr. Manneh testified in court, “I took the accused to Diouloulou, but I don’t know who he was, what he was accused of, or if it’s real or not.

The matter was postponed until Tuesday in order to continue.