Superintendent Landing Bojang, a police officer attached to the Serekunda Police Station, on 27th October 2010 testified in the robbery trial involving ex-IGP Ensa Badjie and chief superintendent of Prison Ali Ceesay, at the special criminal court in Banjul before Justice Ikpala.
Ensa Badjie and Ali Ceesay were indicted by state prosecutors on various counts ranging from conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery with violence, receiving stolen property, aiding and abetting, robbery, conspiracy to commit misdemeanor, aiding prisoner to escape, official corruption, conspiracy to defeat justice and interference with witnesses, deceiving witnesses, offences relating to judicial proceeding, and using criminal charms, among others.
Landing Bojang testified as the prosecution’s tenth witness, and told the court that, in 2007, the first accused person, Ensa Badjie, was the CID officer commanding and chief of operations in the Kanifing Division.
He adduced that he (the witness) at the time headed the unit called ‘Joint Security Task Force’, which was formed to combat crime.
The witness alleged that, in the same year of 2007, there was a series of armed robberies within the Kanifing Division, adding that, in the same year, the alleged armed robbers were arrested by the task force.
“They were escorted to SerreKunda Police Station, including the ring leader, Soriba Kandeh alongside Amadou Jallow, Muhammed Lamin Darboe and Muhammed Camara,” Bojang told the court.
Superintendent Bojang further revealed that during the course of the investigation, there was a push and pull between him and the first accused, because the first accused gave special treatment to Soriba Condeh by giving him access to mobile phone calls, as well as giving him facilities to smoke cannabis.
PW10 revealed that the cannabis was ordered to be taken from Pateh Jallow, the former chief of the drug squad.
He added that his objections to those things led to the problem between him and the 1st accused.
Bojang further said that the then commissioner of Kanifing Division was aware of these events.
“I could remember one parade conducted when the 1st accused, Ensa Badjie, said he knows one Soriba Condeh who was very difficult to arrest because of his reported disappearance,” he added.
“I then told him, if Soriba Condeh remains in the Kanifing Division, I will get him arrested,” the witness told the court.
The first accused, he added, then pledged D1,000 for whoever could arrest Soriba Condeh.
Bojang said the armed robbers who were arrested were later cautioned and charged.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel B.S. Touray, the witness told the court that he was enlisted in to the Gambia Police Force in November 1982.
He said the first accused (Ensa Badjie) was by then not enlisted in the police force, when he (the witness) joined the force.
The witness also stated that he could not remember how many times the special treatment was given to Soriba condeh, but he (Condeh) received it.
He said he never booked in the diary the number of special treatments given to Soriba condeh by the 1st accused.
He also denied calling his friends on the phone complaining bitterly that “there is a tribalism in this country.”
Meanwhile, the prosecution had applied to interpose the evidence of PW9 until he fully recovered to testify, which the defence did not object to.
Hearing of the case continues today.
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