Edrisa Jobe, a former NIA officer has been arraigned at the Banjul Magistrates' Court in a matter related to possession of firearms and ammunitions without authority.
Mr. Jobe was the former head of the special operations unit at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and he was redeployed to National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA).
On Friday 18th June 2010, he appeared before Magistrate Hilary U. Abeke charged with having in his possession firearms without authority.
Mr. Jobe pleaded not guilty to the two-count charges, and was subsequently remanded in custody at the Mile 2 prison.
Count one stated that Edrisa Jobe, on 17th February 2010, being the head of the Special Operations Unit at the NIA, was issued with an AK47 rifle and 60 live rounds of ammunitions, which he failed to hand over to the NIA, following his redeployment to the NDEA.
Count two stated that the accused person, Edrisa Jobe, on 19th March 2010, being the head of the said NIA unit was issued with a 'Carl Walter' pistol with 8 live rounds of ammunitions, which he failed to hand over, after he was redeployed to the NDEA.
After the charges were read to the accused person, and after plea-taking, Lawyer S. Jahateh, the counsel for Mr. Jobe, told the court that she was objecting to all the two counts against her client.
She further submitted that the charges were so incompetent that they cannot be maintained, as they do not disclose any offence(s).
Lawyer Jahateh cited relevant legal authorities to support her submission. She said the prosecution's allegation that her client had failed to hand over arms and ammunition to NIA, while redeployed to NDEA, is not an offence under the Laws of The Gambia.
The police prosecutor, Sergeant Camara, in response referred the court to Section 8 of Arms and Ammunition Act as amended of 2008.
The accused person, he added, has no authority whatsoever to possess the firearms, after being redeployed to the NDEA. He therefore urged the court to proceed with the case.
The case was then adjourned to Monday 21 June 2010, for ruling.
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