Soldier found with pistol in King Fahad Mosque appears in court

Babucarr Njie, a soldier, who was found with a pistol at the King Fahad Mosque in Banjul, yesterday pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before Magistrate Janneh-Njie of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court and charged with going armed in public.

When the case was called, Sub-Inspector Abdoulie Bojang represented the IGP.

Prosecutor Bojang applied for an adjournment and said investigations were still ongoing, adding that the prosecution had not received the case file from the police and did not know what would be the outcome of the investigation.

At this juncture, he objected to bail for the accused, adding that the accused is an active member of the Gambia armed forces.

He argued that if the accused was granted bail, there was likelihood that he would abscond and jump bail.

He stated that the accused might also tamper with the investigation.

The accused, Babucarr Njie, told the court he was on his way to return the gun. He said that since he left the Major Crime Unit, his documents were with them, adding that the prosecution had not completed their investigations.

Magistrate Janneh-Njie then remanded the accused in custody.

She warned the prosecution that if the investigations were not completed before the next adjourned date, she would grant bail to the accused.

Prosecutors alleged that the accused on 10 February 2017, between the hours of 13.30 p.m. and 14.45p.m. in the city of Banjul, was found armed with a Helwan pistol with eight live rounds without lawful occasion in such a manner as to cause terror to members of the public.