Ousainou Bojang, who stands accused of fatally shooting two Gambia Police Force constables in 2023, continued his defense in court, alleging that police officers reset his mobile phone during his detention.
In his testimony, Bojang claimed Detective Officer Ebou Sowe confiscated his phone while he was in custody for a crime he maintains he did not commit. He further asserted that the phone had been tampered with while in police possession.
Prior to the continuation of Bojang’s testimony, presiding Judge Justice Jaiteh directed the Inspector General of Police to produce the station diary from the Sukuta Police Station through a court order. However, despite the directive, no officer appeared to deliver the diary at the previous hearing.
Justice Jaiteh emphasized the need for compliance with court orders and reiterated that the diary must be presented. During the latest session, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), A.M. Yusuf, tendered the Sukuta Police Station diary and two mobile phones allegedly belonging to Bojang. The DPP informed the court that the Station Officer had been relieved of duty.
When presenting the diary, Justice Jaiteh questioned its authenticity and asked the DPP if he could confirm it originated from the Sukuta Police Station. To verify, the DPP called CIA Officer Lamin K. Ceesay, who testified that the document was indeed the station diary. However, upon examination, Justice Jaiteh noted that the diary lacked explicit identification linking it to the Sukuta Police Station. Ceesay admitted he could not find any markings indicating its origin but stated that his name and those of his colleagues were mentioned in the entries.
Defense counsel L. Darboe questioned Bojang about the date and time he was taken to the Sukuta Police Station. Bojang testified that he was brought there on September 14, 2023, at 16:27. Lawyer J. Darboe cross-referenced the diary and confirmed that it recorded the arrival of Bojang and senior officers at the station at the stated time. The defense requested printed copies of the relevant diary pages for further examination.
Regarding the mobile phones presented in court, Bojang was asked to verify whether they were his. After inspecting the devices, he stated that one of the phones had been reset and was prompting for a PIN code, making identification difficult. He also rejected ownership of the second phone, stating, “Mine is a black Nokia mobile.”
When questioned about accessing the phone, he responded, “I cannot access the phone at the moment because it is requesting a code.” He further explained that he did not know the code, as he had disabled the codes, removed the pattern lock, and unlocked the application before handing the phones over to the officer.
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