Police Officers are Not Sacred Cows - Magistrate Tells Court

Senior Magistrate Abdoulie Mbake of the Kanifing Magistrates' Court last Friday opined that police officers are not sacred cows.

This comes in the wake of a testimony by one Kebba Ndow in a case involving one Ebrima Janha and Dodou Faal whom he said insulted his mother and threatened to attack him since they live in the same area.

The witness, Kebba Ndow, told the court that one Binta Ngum, a police officer was together with Ebrima Janha, Dodou Faal and many others who are at large, who insulted his mother and threatened to attack him for the simple reason that he testified on behalf of the police against one Ismaila Ngum who was earlier arraigned before Acting Principal Magistrate Sainabou Wadda-Ceesay.

He further told the court that after he testified before Magistrate Wadda-Ceesay, one Inspector Touray advised him not to go out of the court but to stay in. "I waited for a while and went out of the court premises only to be confronted by Binta Ngum, the police officer together with Ebrima Janha and Dodou Faal and other relatives of Ismaila Ngum who were not happy with me for testifying against their relative", he said.

According to the witness, when he realized that the crowd was growing bigger, he ran back into the court premises and interrupted Magistrate Wadda-Ceesay who was then presiding over a case and told her what happened.

"I later told Inspector Touray that the relatives of Ismaila Ngum confronted him outside and he told me that he had suspected such", he added.

At this juncture, Magistrate Mbake asked why the police officer, Binta Ngum was not also arrested and brought before the court for trial.

Cadet Inspector Mballow, who was the prosecuting officer, told the court that the police officer is being dealt with at administrative level.

However, that explanation did not go down well with Magistrate Mbake, who argued that the police officer, Binta Ngum should know better as a law enforcement officer.

"Police officers are not sacred cows. They are not above the law. Bring the police officer, Binta Ngum, before me for trial", Magistrate Mbake demanded.