By Yankuba Jallow
Ensa Mendy, a former personal guard and orderly to Yankuba Touray has on Tuesday testified in the murder trial of his former boss.
Mendy said he is currently not , adding that he is a former soldier. He said he was enlisted in the Gambia National Army (GNA) on the 7th May 1990 and left the army in the year 2001.
Yankuba Touray is charged with one count of murder contrary to section 187 of the Criminal Code. The particulars of the offence alleged that Yankuba Touray sometime in the month of June 1995 at Kololi in the West Coast Region of The Gambia with malice aforethought caused the death of one Ousman Koro Ceesay by beating him with a pestle-like object and other dangerous weapons thereby committing an offence. The accused was arraigned before this Honourable Court on the 8th day of July 2019 and he refused to take his plea and enters a plea of constitutional immunity.
“Do you remember what transpired between you and the accused person in 1995?” asked Counsel A.M. Yusuf for the State.
Mendy said on this particular day in June 1995, Chairman Yahya Jammeh was to travel to Ethiopia. He testified on that day, he went to work with the accused (Yankuba Touray) who was the Minister of Local Government and Lands. Mendy said after closing from work on that at around 4 pm, he went home with Touray and later proceeded to the State House after taking lunch.
Mendy told the court that after an hour discussion with the former head of state at the State House, Touray came out and told him to go home. He added that Touray told him that he will join the vehicle of one of his colleague council members to join the the Presidential convoy to the airport.
“Normally, when the President is travelling, Council members will meet at his chambers at the State House to join his convoy,” Mendy said.
Mendy said he went home with the official vehicle of Touray together with his driver – Lamin Ndour. He said this was around 6 to 7 pm.
“Whilst you were at home, did anything happened?” the State prosecutor said.
“I received a call from the accused (person) that I and his home guards should go on patrol around BB Hotel area to around Fajara area, that there is a threat so that we can patrol and see what was going on there,” Mendy said.
He said he went with the guard commander Corporal Jangum and Private Lamin Bojang, but he said he couldn’t remember the home guards he went with for the patrol.
“While on the patrol we did not see any unusual movement at the beach so I called the accused (Yankuba Touray) and informed him that we did not see anything at the beach that is a threat. The accused told me to continue patrolling the beach until when I call you to come back,” he said.
He said after a while, Touray called him and asked him to return home.
At this juncture, the matter was adjourned to Thursday, 24th October 2019 at 11:30 am for the continuation of hearing.
