By Louise Jobe
Hopes of securing bail for ten detained farmers from the village of Nioro Jarrol were dashed once again on Monday, July 21, 2025, after it was revealed in court that the presiding magistrate had been transferred. The delay left families heartbroken and in tears, as their loved ones remain in custody.
The case, which centres on a long-standing land dispute between Jarrol and Nioro Jarrol, was scheduled to proceed at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court. But when police brought in the farmers, court officials informed them that Magistrate M.S. Dem—who had previously handled the matter—had been reassigned to the Bundung Magistrates’ Court.
The newly assigned magistrate was not present to take over the case, resulting in yet another adjournment—this time to Tuesday, July 22.
For the families of the detained farmers, the delay was devastating. Many had travelled from Foni with the expectation that the men, who had been in custody since their arrest, would be granted bail.
“We were told to bring our ID cards so that we could help bail our husbands,” said one woman outside the courtroom. “Now we’re being told to go back again. My son keeps asking where his father is. How do I keep explaining this?”
Several women wept openly as the detainees were taken away in a police pickup vehicle—not to Mile Two Prison, where they were originally ordered to be held, but to the Brikama Police Station. No explanation was given for the change in detention location.
All ten detainees are farmers who, due to the legal battle, have not been able to work their land for the past two years. This rainy season marks the third year without farming.
“Our livelihood is being destroyed,” one family member said. “They arrest our men just as the rains begin. We’ve missed two full seasons, and now this year may be gone too.”
Tensions were also heightened by the presence of a soldier in full uniform who moved frequently between the prosecution and court officials during the proceedings, causing discomfort among some observers who felt intimidated by his presence.
Critics say the legal delays are not only causing economic hardship but are also undermining public trust in the justice system. Some allege that the repeated injunctions and strategic timing of arrests—often aligning with the start of the rainy season—serve to weaken the farmers’ ability to maintain their livelihoods.
As the court continues to delay, the families of Nioro Jarrol are growing increasingly desperate. “We need our men home,” said one woman as she wiped tears from her face.
With the next hearing now pushed to today, it remains uncertain when—or if—the farmers will be granted bail, and whether they will return to their fields before another growing season slips away.
