By Mariama Marong
A police officer on Wednesday testified before Justice Omar Cham of the High Court in Banjul in the ongoing trial of Abdoulie Jallow and Alfusainey Jobarteh, who are accused of robbing the El Hella Shop in Banjul earlier this year.
The witness, Lamin Saidykhan, told the court that he was part of the investigation team that handled the alleged robbery, which took place on 8 February 2025. He said the complaint was filed by Muhammad Ebrima Hydara, who reported that two unknown men had attacked and robbed him at his shop in Banjul.
Both accused persons are facing four counts — conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery, importing firearms without a licence, and unlawful possession of firearms.
The prosecution alleged that Jallow and Losseni Diabate (also known as Ousainou or Alfusainey) conspired to commit robbery on 8 February 2025 at the El Hella Shop in Banjul. They allegedly used pistols to rob Muhammad Seedy Hydara and Ebrima Hydara of D1,245,000 and 1,650,000 CFA francs.
The prosecution further alleged that the accused imported two pistols from Senegal without a licence and was later found in unlawful possession of the weapons and thirteen rounds of live ammunition.
According to Officer Saidykhan, the case was treated as a capital offence, and investigators took immediate action. “We quickly rushed to the shop but could not find the suspects there. We found the place in a mess, with several items dismantled,” he told the court.
He said the investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the shop, which showed how Hydara was robbed. “By carefully analyzing the CCTV footage, we took notice of the vehicle number used and the clothes they wore, and the information was shared,” Saidykhan explained.
He added that the police launched a search operation to locate the suspects. “After the spread of the information, the Gambia Police Force investigators took it upon themselves to ensure that the suspects were apprehended,” he said.
Saidykhan testified that one of the suspects, Abdoulie Jallow, was later spotted with a vehicle believed to have been used during the robbery. “He was asked to produce the documents of the vehicle, but Abdoulie said he was just a mechanic,” the officer told the court.
When questioned further, Jallow allegedly told investigators that the vehicle belonged to another suspect identified as Jobarteh.
The case has been adjourned to 9 October 2025 for the continuation of the testimony of PW1 (Prosecution Witness 1).
