By Mariama Marong
In an emotional testimony before Justice Sidi Jobarteh of the High Court, Lamin Jawla, a robbery suspect, recounted how he was allegedly brutalised by officers of the Bundung Police Station following his arrest, detailing a nightmarish ordeal that began with a case of mistaken identity and ended with a hospital visit under police guard.
Jawla, a native of Bakoteh and former cashier at Kolomoni Microfinance, told the court that he was on his way to visit his father when he was suddenly attacked by a mob in his neighbourhood “I was listening to music with my earpiece on when a crowd started shouting in Mandinka, ‘Afeleh! Afeleh!’ meaning, ‘It’s him!’” he said. “Before I could even react, they began slapping, kicking, and beating me.”
According to the accused, the crowd’s actions were fueled by misidentification. “I didn’t know what I was being accused of. I didn’t steal anything. I was just walking to my father’s house,” he said.
He explained that a man who was not in uniform had intervened and placed him under arrest without explanation. “He hired a taxi and took me straight to Bundung Police Station. I was still handcuffed, bleeding, and in shock.”
Once at the station, Jawla said, he was placed in a holding cell and later escorted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where he was allegedly beaten by two officers. “They didn’t tell me what I had done,” he said. “They just started beating me. One of them was called Samba. I don’t know the name of the other one.”
Jawla said the officers demanded he confess. “Samba told me to say the truth or else they would do something dangerous to me,” he testified. “They beat me until I collapsed. Then another officer came in and told them to stop before they killed me.”
He said that it was only after his collapse that the officers decided to take him to Bundung Hospital. “I was in pain all over my body. When we arrived at the hospital, a nurse examined me. But even in the taxi, on the way there, they were still hitting me,” he told the court.
Jawla further lamented that despite being detained and tortured, he was never informed of the specific charges against him until much later — only after he had suffered injuries and trauma. “I was beaten before my statement was even taken,” he said. “That’s not justice.”
The allegations of police brutality come as The Gambia continues to grapple with the legacy of past security sector abuses and ongoing calls for reform. The case is expected to test the judiciary’s response to claims of rights violations during criminal investigations.
Justice Sidi Jobarteh adjourned the matter to June 30, 2025, for continuation of the proceedings.
