The court began with a pending bail application. Justice S.K. Jobarteh noted receipt of the State’s affidavit in opposition. Counsel Jobe said he had received it late and sought a 15-minute stand-down to consult his client. The judge granted it.
On resumption, Jobe said he had not had time to file a reply and, with the court about to proceed on vacation, applied to withdraw the bail motion filed on July 25, 2026. The prosecution did not object and Justice Jobarteh struck it out.
Counsel Jobe then called Sanna Manjang to the witness box.
Manjang, a resident of Brikama, father of eight, and former soldier, testified that he joined the Gambia Armed Forces in January 1994. After training, he served as regimental police at Fajara Barracks and was promoted to Lance Corporal and later Corporal in 2002.
In 2002, he said, he was sent to Libya for three months of commando training. On return, he was briefly posted to State House before being transferred to Kanilai following a notice board directive to join the patrol team.
At Kanilai, he reported to Khalifa Bajika and was tasked with leading patrol operations. He said there was no formal patrol unit at the time and he used available personnel. He told the court the Casamance border was unstable and his duty was to ensure Gambians “could go about their business without threats.”
He said patrol teams rotated monthly from Banjul to Kanilai and that he led operations because “no one knows the border line more than him.” Team selections, he added, were made by senior officers, including then State House commander Ousman Badjie.
Manjang said his assignment ended on July 22, 2017. During that period he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and later Lieutenant.
He recounted a rescue operation in which seven Gambians arrested by rebels in the border area were freed. Coordinated through Bora Colley, he said he led his men to Kalaji, engaged in a 45-minute firefight, and secured the release of all seven. One sustained a minor mouth injury. He escorted them to Kalaji police station and said records of the incident should be there.
The case was adjourned to October 8, 2026 to allow the defence to continue. (Reporting from Kexx News)
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