By Kebba Jeffang
Basiru Mboge, a narcotic officer stationed at the Wellingara Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEA) became witness number 3 to 
testify in an ongoing obstruction trial involving Sheikh Cham on Wednesday, September 09, 2015 at Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.
Witness Mboge recalled that on the 19th March, 2015 at around 22hrs, he was part of the a team sent on a mission led by NCA3 Abdoulie Kebbeh (PW1) in Lamin, Kombo North, West Coast Region. He said they were acting on a tip off that one drug dealer with five bundles of suspected cannabis was coming to ‘Obama Strasser’.
“We were there for about 30 minutes and then saw two men coming towards our direction. We intercepted them and identified ourselves as narcotic officers. It was NCA3 Bah (PW2) who pulled out his warrant card. One of them complied and was screened but nothing was found on him. The other one later known to us as Sheikh Cham refused to be searched and started using provocative words against us,” said PW3.
The narcotic officer further testified that the accused person said to them that school drop outs and non professionals wouldn’t search him. He said the accused added that he has read the law. He said it was at this moment that the accused started making noise to alert the neighborhood which led to the failure of their mission. He said this was the time they arrested him and took him to Wellingara DLEA office. He said he didn’t know the accused before the incident and had no issue with him either.
Under cross examination, he was asked by defence Lawyer Banjugo Nyangado whether the person suspected of carrying 5 bundles of suspected cannabis was the accused person. The witness response was that he doesn’t know the person by the time they were going for that operation. He said they approached Sheikh Cham because they suspected him.
The matter at this juncture was adjourned till 14th September, 2015 for continuation of cross examination.
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