Alagie
Kanyi, a former army officer, on 12 February, 2020, revealed before Justice
Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court in Banjul that he saw Yankuba Touray received a
stick from Edward Singhateh and hit Koro Ceesay.
As
the sixth prosecution witness in the murder case involving Yankuba Touray, Mr.
Kanyi told the court that he lives at Jarra Sankuya, LRR. He testified that he
is an immigration officer since 1 October, 1998, further stating that before
becoming an immigration officer, he was an army officer.
He
said he joined the army on 15 January, 1986, and left on 15 January, 1998. He
was asked whether in 1995 he was in the military or immigration. In response,
he noted that in 1995 he was in the army. He testified that he knew Edward
Singhateh as AFPRC council member. He said that he also knew Peter Singhateh as
a senior officer in the army, further stating that he knew Yankuba Touray in
the army and as a member of AFPRC council. He adduced that he knew Koro Ceesay
as a minister of Finance.
“Where
is Koro Ceesay now?” he was asked by State Counsel A.M. Yusuf.
“He
is dead,” he replied. He informed the court that Koro Ceesay died in 1995.
Still
testifying, he stated that in the year 1995, one day, he was in his residence
at Brikama and he was visited by one Corporal P.K. Jatta and Tumbul Tamba who
told him that he was needed by Edward Singhateh. He told the court that P.K.
Jatta drove them to Edward Singhateh’s residence. “Along the way, we picked
Corporal Pa Alieu Ngum at Bartess, Serrekunda. We were four in the vehicle,” he
revealed.
He
adduced that they went to Edward Singhateh’s residence at Cape Point, Bakau. He
said that upon arrival, they quickly dressed up with Peter Singhateh who drove
them in his car to Yankuba Touray’s residence at Kerr Sering.
“Upon
arrival, we met Yankuba Touray there. None of his family members was there. No
guard was also there. When we entered inside the house, we were briefed by
Edward Singhateh that we were going to get rid of Koro Ceesay, a minister,” he
told the court.
He
stated that Edward Singhateh told him that Koro Ceesay did not know him (Alagie
Kanyi) and asked him to wait for them at the gate and that Yahya Jammeh was
going to the airport. He narrated that upon their arrival from the airport,
Edward Singhateh told him that he would see him.
He
added that after their arrival from the airport, Peter Singhateh was the first
person who came and met him at the gate and rushed to the house, followed by
Edward Singhateh. “As Edward Singhateh passed me, he signalled me that that was
the minister, Koro Ceesay, whom I saluted. I told him that he was welcomed. He
then followed me,” he testified further.
He
said that when Edward Singhateh and Peter Singhateh entered the house, just for
some time, he heard a noise from the back which surprised him. “Then Edward
Singhateh told me that Koro Ceesay was the guy,” he revealed.
He
told the court that he turned and saw Peter Singhateh closing the gate and
smashed Koro Ceesay. “Edward Singhateh also smashed Koro Ceesay with a stick he
received from Peter Singhateh. I turned and saw P.K. Gomez, Tumbul Tamba and Pa
Alieu Ngum hit Koro Ceesay. Edward Singhateh gave me a stick and I hit Koro
Ceesay. Yankuba Touray collected a stick from Edward Singhateh and hit Koro
Ceesay. All of us hit Koro Ceesay and this resulted to his death,” Mr.
Kanyi narrated.
He
further testified that Koro’s face was bleeding, noting that Edward Singhateh
picked the body from the floor and placed it in Koro’s car on the passenger’s
seat in front. He informed the court that he and his colleagues went inside the
house and all of them cleaned the blood and later P.K. Jatta drove them to
their homes.
“When
you and your colleagues cleaned the blood in the house, where were Yankuba,
Peter and Edward?” he was asked. In response, he adduced that they heard the
noise of a vehicle like somebody was putting the engine on. So at the time they
came out, they did not know where Yankuba, Edward and Peter went.
He
said that the following day, they heard the rumour that a minister’s car
somersaulted around Jabang’s end and it
got burnt. He added that Peter’s hand was burnt and it was covered by his
uniform sleeve, and any time his uniform sleeve was drawn up, one would see the
burnt hand. “The burnt hand was kept a secret by us. I got to Edward’s
residence around 8 p.m. P.K. Jatta, Tumbul Tamba, Pa Alieu Gomez and I were
present when Edward briefed us that they were going to get rid of Koro Ceesay
in Yankuba’s house, but Yankuba was not
present,” he noted.
He
told the court that when they arrived at Yankuba’s residence, the accused was
in the house. “How did you know that it was Koro’s car?” A.M. Yusuf questioned
him.
“As
I was standing at the gate, I saw them returning from the airport. Peter first
entered and followed by Edward. Then Koro Ceesay arrived and I saw him
alighting from his car. We were told by Edward that the car belonged to Koro
Ceesay,” he replied.
“Where
did the blood come from?” he was asked.
“It
came from Koro’s body,” he answered.
Hearing
continues today.
