Saidykhan, who is PW 5 in the ongoing armed robbery case involving Losseni Diabate, an Ivorian national, Ansumana Jarjue, and Abdoulie Jallow, has stated that the accused persons “voluntarily confessed to having participated in the armed robbery case at the United Vegetable Oil Company, at Denton Bridge, when the accused were interrogated by police investigators.”
In his detailed testimony, led by State Counsel M.D. Mballow, before Justice O. Cham, the witness was asked what success stories they discovered during their interrogation. In response, the witness said: “We asked the accused persons why they targeted the United Vegetable Oil Company. The 2nd accused person, Losseni Diabate told us that they were looking for money, but they were not going to harm anybody. He told us that he knew money was at the company because it is the company where he used to work.”
Continuing further, the witness said: “The accused told them that immediately they entered the company’s premises, he went straight to the office and took the 400, 000 dalasis and handed it over to Ansumana Jarjue, who was standing outside. After handing over the money, they later proceeded and met Abdoulie Jallow, who was positioned at the security room, and then they fled the scene.”
“The accused told us that they later divided the D400, 000 dalasis, with each receiving 100, 000 and the remaining 100, 000 dalasis was put aside to purchase the pistol and ammunition from a sister country for future operations. Again, it was Abdoulie Jallow who went to a sister country and bought the weapon and brought it into the country.”
Asked by lead counsel as to how Abdoulie Jallow managed to escape the security at the border, he said: “The accused, Abdoulie Jallow, placed the pistol under his underwear shirt and had it sellotaped, and then he wore another shirt on top of the underwear and that was how he escaped the security at the border until he brought the pistol and ammunition in the country.”
Quizzed again on the items they recovered from Losseni Diabate's house in Banjul, Saidykhan explained that they recovered plastic straps, used face masks, pistol, camouflage, and light blue jeans. “The reason we focused on this is that these are the things we saw in the CCTV footage at El-Hella robbery attack in Banjul,” he added.
Narrating how the incident first happened, he said: “On the 8th of February 2025, the SCU of the police headquarters in Banjul received a case of armed robbery at the El-Hella Shop in Banjul that two armed men robbed the shop and went away with over a million dalasis and CFA, and then later fled the scene. Therefore, we then intensified our investigation, and this matter became a no-sleep day for security personnel, with police mounting various checkpoints, and intelligence officers were in the communities searching.”
“On the same day at around 8 p.m., the BMW vehicle that was used in the Banjul armed robbery operation was spotted with one Amadou Jallow, a mechanic who was driving the vehicle. Our team then chased him, and luckily for us, the officers who were at Bond Road, intercepted the vehicle. The driver was then questioned as to who owned the vehicle, and he responded that the vehicle belonged to Losseni Diabate. We further asked to know what the vehicle was doing with him, and he told us that Losseni asked him to do some mechanical work on it.”
He further narrated: “We further asked him the whereabouts of Losseni, and he told us that he was at Busumbala at his wife's residence, and we asked him whether he (Losseni) has a house in Banjul, and he responded positively. Luckily for us again, our team was able to locate his house in Banjul. When we arrived at his house in Banjul, we found a Malian national there in the person of Yerro. When we asked Yerro who he was sharing the house with, Yerro confirmed to us that he was sharing the house with Losseni.”
The witness told the court that Losseni was arrested by his team in Busumbala because he was expecting his vehicle to be brought back to him. “When we arrested him in Busumbala, we took him to the Anti-Crime Unit for questioning, and later Abdoulie Jallow and Ansumana Jarjue were also arrested. They both confessed to have participated in the robbery case at the United Vegetable Oil Company.”
Narrating how the robbers entered the company, he said, the accused told them that he knew where the safe was and the office of the CEO of the company, and also the distance between the office and the watchman’s room.”
“So when they arrived at the place, Losseni asked Abdoulie Jallow to stay with the watchman with a cutlass which was placed on his (watchman) neck while Losseni proceeded to the office, and then Ansumana was assigned at the main entrance of the company.”
The case is adjourned to the 10th and 11th of June for the continuation of testimony of PW5.
