Court Remands Four Alleged Armed Robbers

The four individuals accused of armed robbery in connection with United Bureau, United Vegetable Oil Company, Access Bank, and El-Hella Company were arraigned before Magistrate Krubally.

The accused are Ansumana Jarju, Abdoulie Jallow, Losseni Diabate, and Omar Secka. They face nine charges, including robbery with violence, conspiracy to commit a felony, and possession of firearms without authority.

Representing the Inspector General of Police were Commissioner Sanneh and DCP M. Jarju, while the accused appeared without legal representation.

Before the charges were read, Commissioner Sanneh made an application under Section 62 of the Criminal Procedure Code and legal notice number 3 of 2019, requesting the case be transferred to the Special Criminal Court.

Commissioner Sanneh argued that the charges, specifically robbery with violence, are capital offenses carrying life imprisonment, a punishment beyond the jurisdiction of the magistrate court. He cited Section 208A of the Criminal Procedure Code and requested the accused be remanded at Mile Central Prison until the case is heard in the High Court.

Magistrate Krubally ruled that the court lacked the jurisdiction to handle the case, given the severity of the charges. He granted the request to transfer the case to the Special Criminal Court, which has the proper jurisdiction, under Section 62(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The magistrate also ordered the accused to be remanded at the state central prison pending further hearings at the High Court, in accordance with Section 208(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The accused faces nine criminal charges. In Count 1, Ansumana Jarju is charged with robbery with violence under Section 273(2) of the Criminal Code. The prosecution alleges that on June 29, 2021, at United Bureau, Senegambia, Jarju, armed with a cutlass, robbed Binta Bah of D42,200, which included D1,200 in cash, three laptops valued at D23,000, a Samsung S9+ worth D17,000, and a simple phone.

In Count 2, Jarju, Jallow, and Diabate are charged with conspiracy to commit a felony under Section 368 of the Criminal Code. They are accused of conspiring to rob United Vegetable Oil Company, Denton Bridge, on December 31, 2024.

Count 3 charges Jarju, Jallow, and Diabate with robbery with violence, alleging that on the same date and location, they robbed company staff of D400,000 while armed with cutlasses.

Count 4 charges Jarju, Jallow, Diabate, and Secka with conspiracy to commit a felony, accusing them of planning to rob Access Bank, Brusubi, on January 22, 2025.

Count 5 charges all four with robbery with violence, alleging they stole D1,500,000 from Access Bank staff while armed with pistols on January 22, 2025.

In Count 6, all four are charged with possession of firearms without authority under Section 8 of the Arms and Ammunition Act, claiming they possessed two pistols and thirteen rounds of ammunition without a license from the Inspector General of Police on January 22, 2025.

Count 7 charges Jallow and Diabate with conspiracy to commit a felony, alleging they planned to rob the EL-HELLA Shop in Banjul on February 8, 2025.

Count 8 charges them with robbery with violence, alleging they violently robbed Muhammed Seedy Hydara and Ebrima Hydara of D1,245,000 and 1,650 items from the shop on the same date, armed with pistols.

In the final count, Abdoulie Jallow and Losseni Diabate are again charged with possession of firearms without authority, contrary to Section 8, punishable under Section 25(2)(a) of the Arms and Ammunition Act. The prosecution alleges that on February 8, 2025, at EL-HELLA Shop in Banjul, the two unlawfully possessed two unidentified pistols and thirteen (13) rounds of ammunition without a license from the Inspector General of Police.