By Landing Ceesay
Ousainou Bojang, currently on trial for the alleged murder of Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers, has implicated Interior Minister Abdoulie Sanyang in his ongoing defense. Sanyang, the Inspector General of Police at the time of Bojang’s arrest, was named as having played a role in what Bojang described as his unlawful detention and torture at the Police Anti-Crime Unit in Banjulinding. Bojang’s sister, Amie Bojang, also faces charges as an accessory after the fact.
Testifying in court, Ousainou detailed his alleged experiences with police investigators, accusing officers of physical abuse, including being assaulted with a cutlass by SI Jobe and Inspector Bah. He also recounted extensive interrogations, accusations, and searches conducted by police officers, who he claims were intent on forcing a confession.
According to Bojang, during the journey, police officers questioned him about a gun they believed he fired, despite his denials. He explained to them that he had never held a gun and was not trained to use one. Police officers, including Detective Sowe, insisted on his involvement, even after a search of the area yielded no evidence.
“I was taken to the Anti Crime; on our way there, when we reached the Sukuta Jabang Traffic Lights, they (Police Officers) left the road and stood there for a while. They asked how I was able to fire the gun because they knew I fired a gun. They (Police Officers) asked how I fired a gun, and I told them I never held a gun in my hand and I don’t know how to use it because I am not a serviceman. But Sowe still did not believe me. I insisted that I don’t know how to use a gun. I told him again that I never held a gun in my hand. Sowe then called his boys, the PIU and CID Officers and told them to search the whole area. Sowe also told others to jump over the fence, and they searched everywhere but could not find anything. Even after the search didn’t yield any gun, Sowe was insisting that I fired a gun and that I should talk.
“That was the time Lamin Cham said he knew me very well and that I was at Yankuba Darboe’s demonstration having push and pull with the PIU Officers there. But I don’t want to say the truth. I told him that was not me. I told him that since at the Anti-Crime. I have been telling him that the person he saw was not me. He (Lamin Cham) said to me that we know that it is the UDP people who sent you to kill these people and that I must talk by force. I told him that I was not there and I was not the one because I was at my workplace. I told him that this was the same thing I told Sowe. I told Sowe that if he searched my phone, he would know that I was telling the truth,” Ousainou Bojang told the court.
Ousainou further claimed that Sowe called the attention of his officers and told them that he would not reveal the truth until they reached the anti-crime camp.
He stated that the police officers then took him to the Police Anti-Crime Unit, where he was handcuffed and shoved into a cell upon arrival.
Ousainou mentioned that Detective Ebou Sowe told him that he would speak only after they were finished with him.
Later that night, while still in the cell, Ousainou recalled that Detective Sowe came, opened the cell door, and pulled him out. He said Sowe then informed him that they were going to take his fingerprints.
“He (Detective Sowe) took me to one office and asked me to sit down. Then he brought a lot of papers and started taking my fingerprints and palmprints. It was my thumb he was using to put it on the papers. From there he took me back to the cell. During that night, no one came for me until the following morning. Around 11 to 12, then I was taken out of the cell. I was taken to the same office again. In that office, only senior Officers were sitting there. The senior Officers told me that they wanted to know where was I on that Tuesday night. I told them that I was at work because I was a security officer. They asked what time I go to work. I told them that I work from 7 P.M. to 8 A.M.
“Then they (Police Officers) asked whether I knew anything about the allegation Mama Jabbi levelled against me. I told them that I knew nothing about it. I told them that all I know is that I had a problem with my white woman. They asked where the compound of the white woman was. I told them where I worked as a security and where her apartment was, and they asked whether they could see the white woman’s apartment. I said yes if they were ready. Then they asked what is the main problem between me and my white woman. I told them that I had a problem with her because of money, but she also threatened me, saying that she would expose me. I told them that is what she ended up doing.” Ousainou testified.
Ousainou testified that he informed the senior officers his superiors had directed him to visit the CID office at Senegambia, which he did every Tuesday afternoon. He stated that he reported the matter to the CID office as instructed.
According to Ousainou, he also told the senior officers that Yero Saidy had knowledge about the issue involving him and a white woman.
During the questioning, the senior officers asked Ousainou if he had ever used a gun, to which he firmly responded that he never had. They also inquired whether he was a serviceman, and Ousainou clarified that he was not. He described himself as a security officer and a civilian.
“They (Police Officers) said okay, they want to go with me to the white woman’s apartment. Then they took me out and put me in a vehicle. We drove until we reached the Sukuta Jabang Traffic Lights, and then they left the road and bent as if they were heading inside Sukuta. They stopped there and asked me to tell them how I escaped from there. I told them that I had never reached this place before and that it was my first time coming to that area. Then they asked whether I did not recognize the storey building there. I told them no, I don’t recognize this storey building. Sowe was the one asking me those questions.
“There was another Officer, Pateh Bah, who said the way Sowe was asking was not how they do their work. Then it became push and pull between themselves and Pa Alieu was there. Pa Alieu then said come, you are not going to board Sowe’s vehicle; you are going to enter my vehicle. Then I entered Pa Alieu’s vehicle. Pa Alieu, Pateh Bah, another officer called Boto Keita, and Susso were in the vehicle and the driver. That was the vehicle I was put in and I was asked to take them to the white woman’s apartment in Brufut,” Ousainou testified.Ousainou testified that upon arriving at the apartment of a white woman, the police officers asked him to unlock the door. He explained that tenants were living in the apartment, and he could not grant access.
He further stated that he informed the officers about another security guard, Famara Badjie, who worked there during the day. Ousainou maintained that he was telling the truth—there were residents in the apartment.
Despite his explanations, the officers insisted on conducting a search. However, they were unable to access the apartment. Instead, they turned their attention to the stores on the property, breaking down the doors to gain entry.
Ousainou recounted how the officers ransacked the stores in their search for a gun but found nothing. After completing their search in the first store, they moved on to the second, breaking its door as well and searching the entire area without success.
He also testified that his colleague, Famara Badjie, repeatedly clarified that he was not a serviceman but simply a security guard. According to Ousainou, this was when the officers escorted him outside and waited by the gate.
“Officer Boto Keita saw some shoes in the compound and said he knew that those were my shoes. I told him that those shoes were not mine; they were my brother’s shoes. He then went to the compound and said he must look at the shoes. He took me along, and when he took the shoes, I told him to look at the shoes. They were not mine but my brother’s. I told him that those shoes were not even my size. These are my brother’s shoes. I told him that I didn’t wear the same size as my brother. He took the shoes and looked underneath; he said these were the shoes the killer was wearing. He then took the shoes and went along.
“On our way back, when we reached the Sukuta Jabang Traffic Lights again, we drove towards Sukuta and went up to the Sukuta Police Station. We met seven people there, and those seven people were the eyewitnesses. They said those seven individuals were the ones who saw the shooter. Then they asked those seven individuals whether they knew me, and they said no, they didn’t know me. Those seven individuals were asked whether they had seen me before, and they said no, they had never seen me. They said the person they saw was a short man and was wearing a White Haftan,” Ousainou testified.Ousainou testified in court that Pateh Bah, one of the officers, became emotional and told his colleagues that Commissioner Sowe would not mislead them. However, according to Ousainou, Bah also expressed frustration, stating that Commissioner Sowe was disrupting their work. Bah reportedly said, “If we reach the Anti-Crime Unit, I will leave you today.” Ousainou recounted that this was when they reboarded the vehicle and headed to the Anti-Crime Unit.
Upon arrival at the Police Anti-Crime Unit, Ousainou stated that he was handed over to junior officers, who cuffed his hands and escorted him to a cell. He remained in the cell until late at night when Detective Ebou Sowe came for him again. Ousainou said Sowe’s actions initially gave him hope that he was about to be released.
“Ebou Sowe then told me that the way the situation was, if they released me, I would be killed. He then took me to an office and asked me to sit down. He started chatting with me; he asked whether I was going to drink tea. I told him that I had it, but if I didn’t have it, then fine. He took out the raw tea but did not prepare it in my presence. He pours it from his flash bottle and puts it in a cup. While drinking the coffee, I was chatting with him, and then I fell asleep. I could not remember how I left his office to the cell. The following morning, I saw myself in the cell, And that was on a Friday. I was in the cell until after Friday prayers.
“I was then taken before a panel. Whilst I was sitting there, there was a man that I never knew came in that day; I heard him telling his colleagues to allow him to go with me and kill me. The other ones were laughing and took it as a joke. I sat there until they were done with their discussions, and they took me back to the cell. When I got to the cell, they pushed me on fellow detainees there and I fell on them. I was there groaning heavily. The other detainees asked whether they were from beating me, and I told them yes because they wanted me to accept the allegations. I told them that I was not going to say what I did not know; if they wanted, let them kill me. I was there till in the morning; on a Saturday, no one came for me,” he said.
Ousainou recounted that while he was in the cell, he stood near the window and observed senior officers outside. Despite calling out for attention, no one responded to him. He remained there until Sunday when he was transferred to the Yundum Airport Police Station, where he spent a week.
Testifying further, Ousainou said Detective Ebou Sowe arrived at the station accompanied by an individual he initially did not recognize. He explained that there were four individuals present: Pateh Bah’s driver, Lamin Ceesay, Alieu Cham (the Independent Witness), and Detective Sowe.
Ousainou stated that Detective Sowe informed him they were there to record his statement, emphasizing the presence of Alieu Cham as the Independent Witness. He agreed to proceed, and Detective Sowe assured him that everything written would be read back to him for confirmation.
According to Ousainou, Detective Sowe presented four separate documents outlining the charges against him. He denied all the charges in the presence of the Independent Witness. The documents were subsequently thumbprinted by Alieu Cham, Detective Sowe, and himself.
Ousainou narrated that he was then taken to the CID office and placed in a cell. On a Wednesday, officers from the Anti-Crime Unit arrived with their pickups and transported him to their camp in Banjulinding. Upon arrival, he was escorted to a hall where he encountered several senior officers in uniform.
He added that the officers were initially seated under a tree but later joined him inside an office, where further interactions took place.
“One of them told me that he was the IGP. He said his name was Abdoulie Sanyang, and he was holding an electronic cigarette. He was speaking to me as if he was drunk. He said to me hope you are not mad. I told him that I was not mad and I had never been mad. He asked me whether I was not under any influence. I told him that I didn’t take anything. He told me that the shoes they had brought were Mine and I was the killer. I told him no it was not me. I told him that the shoes belonged to my elder brother, Famara Bojang. I told him that my brother is a welder man and these are shoes he wore when going to work. He (Abdoulie Sanyang) did not believe me and said I should wear the shoes. Then I took the shoes and tried to put them on, but they didn’t fit me. Because the shoes are not my size.
“I told him you see, this is not my size. I told him that I would not lie to people. Whatever I said was the truth. He got angry and told me to shut up. He asked whether I knew who I was speaking to. He told me that all the officers sitting there he was their boss. He told me that they would lock me up. When he said that, I did not respond, and then he took out a handcuff that had a chain and was brand new. He took it from his bag and gave it to Commissioner Sowe. He (Abdoulie Sanyang) told Commissioner Sowe that if they are putting me in any cell, let them make sure that my hands and legs are handcuffed. That was when I was taken back to the Airport Police Station. When we got there, Ebou Sowe took out the handcuff and said it was from the authorities so he must do it. Then he handcuffed my hands and legs and put me in a cell at the Airport Police Station. I was there for three days and my feet started getting swollen,” Ousainou testified.
Ousainou told the court that the Officer in Command (O.C.) at the Airport Police Station instructed officers to remove his handcuffs. However, they explained that the keys were with the Anti-Crime Unit officers who had initially placed the cuffs on him.
According to Ousainou, the O.C. then contacted the Anti-Crime Unit, and when their personnel arrived, she directed them to unlock the handcuffs. He stated that Detective Ebou Sowe initially hesitated, citing orders from higher authorities, but eventually complied after the O.C. reiterated her instruction.
“Then Ebou Sowe uncuffed me. When he did that he handcuffed my hands with a small one. They left me there and went. I was there till the following week when I was taken to the Kanifing Court with my sister. We were there until the court adjourned the case to the High Court. Then I was taken back to the Anti Crime. Then Ebou Sowe asked me to unlock my phone and I did. He went through my WhatsApp conversation and knew that what I was telling him was the truth that I had some issues with my white woman, and he saw the conversation between me and my English friends. He then went through my call logs. He realized what I told him was the truth: I was at work the night of the incident.He (Ebou Sowe) told me that he came to caution me, but at that moment, he would not do it. He then parked the file and the phone and went with them. There was a guy called Gibba, he was an officer he was always here in court, he asked me whether I was the one who killed the police officers, I told him that I was not the one. I told him that I never hurt anyone in my life and I never held a gun in my hand before. Then Gibba got up and said I should not say that and they tried looking for the gun, but they could not find it. Gibba said I should tell him that I threw the gun into the river. I told him that I never held a gun in my hand. I told him that whatever they were saying was not correct. I never held a gun,” Ousainou testified.
Ousainou informed the court that Officer Gibba urged him to accept the allegations, claiming it would help them address the case effectively.
“I told him no, it has never happened. They took me out of the office because they couldn’t get what they wanted from me. They took me back to the Airport Police Station and I was there until the day they took me to Mile Two Central Prisons,” Ousainou told the court.
The case was adjourned to today for continuation.