By Mariama Marong
On Tuesday, 15th July 2025, Inspector Ebou Gaye of the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) appeared before Justice Sidi Jobarteh as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trafficking trial of Hanna Magbujor Isaiah, widely known as Treasure.
Treasure is facing six criminal charges, including felony, trafficking in persons, and importation of persons. All six charges are offenses punishable under the laws of The Gambia. She denied the charges.
Testifying during a question-and-answer session led by State Counsel H. Drammeh, Inspector Gaye stated that he recognized the accused from an earlier interrogation conducted around February 2023 in connection with a case involving trafficking and sexual exploitation.
According to Gaye, the victims informed investigators that they were subjected to prostitution by the accused against their will and were forced to pay D300,000 as compensation to her.
Inspector Gaye told the court that he was part of the investigation team that interviewed the accused. During this interrogation, he said the accused admitted that the victims were brought from Nigeria to The Gambia for the purpose of prostitution and that they were made aware of the nature of the job before traveling.
He said the accused used the victims as a source of income, subjecting them to daily sex work with multiple men. “The victims told me that the accused subjected them to sex work in Serekunda, Class One,” he said.
Inspector Gaye further testified that the victims told him they had been taken to a spiritual marabou in Nigeria by the accused’s agent before their journey to The Gambia. They were allegedly told that if they betrayed the accused, they would either die or go mad.
He said the accused confirmed during interrogation that she was responsible for bringing the victims to The Gambia and had informed them about the nature of the job beforehand.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer H. Gaye questioned whether the accused had been arrested at her residence in Sanchaba or had turned herself in at the police station. Inspector Gaye responded that she was arrested at home, though the defence insisted otherwise.
He also told the court that the victims were involved in sex work and that they paid money to the accused. “A record book indicating names of victims, money paid, and the balance remaining was all recorded in the notebook,” he said.
However, defence counsel H. Gaye challenged this, asserting that the accused was not the owner of the book.
The case has been adjourned to 23rd July 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
