By Sainabou Sambou
Ma Ebou Njie Monday gave testimony in an ongoing felony and assault case which involved him and Mustapha Fatty, Dawda Khan and Ebrima Sylva (accused) before the Kanifing Magistrate Court presided over by Magistrate Colley.
Ma Ebou Njie a native of Kololi an auto mechanic explained to the court that the incident took place on the 1st of December 2021, when he went with his father in-law, Ousman Sillah and one mechanic by the name Omar to Mustapha Fatty’s garage at Bakoteh. On their arrival at the garage he said they didn’t meet him there but decided to call him (Mustapha) and he replied to them through phone that he is on his way coming to the garage.
According to him, Omar is the one who supposed to help them fix a vehicle so that the vehicle can be removed from Mustapha’s garage, so Omar called Mustapha again on the telephone, and two of them discussed about something over the telephone but he (Ma Ebou Njie) doesn’t know what they were discussing.
He continued that he collected Mustapha’s telephone number from Omar and called him by telling him that the vehicle has been parked at his garage for long without any maintenance, and that you said you can fix the vehicle but you have not done it. At the same time, he said that at that time he told Mustapha that he came with someone who can fix the vehicle for him. But before he finish what he was saying, he said, he (Mustapha) cut off the call.
After ten minutes later, he said, Mustapha came to the garage and they exchange greetings while he referred back to their conversation on phone that he, Mustapha, can’t fix the vehicle before he cut off the call.
Due to that, he said at that time he told Mustapha that he has no respect and that was when Mustapha came closer to him holding a pepper spray which he sprayed in his eyes. He said when Mustapha did that, he told him that you are in my garage and you are insulting me.
He said that was the time people came to intervene between them. He said he was struggling to escape from the garage with his father in-law but at that time his eyes were paining him and left the garage. He said he was struggling to board a vehicle but he couldn’t due to his condition. And that at that time he heard Mustapha telling his apprentices that how can you let this man enter this garage, while Mustapha and his people started stoning him.
He said the stones hit his finger and was wounded and as he was trying to pick a stone in order to defend himself by stoning them Mustapha hit him with an iron on his head and he sustained injury.
He disclosed that as he used his hands to protect his head because Mustapha has hurt him, all the hands become wounded, still Mustapha was still holding the pepper spray while he kicked him and the spray dropped down. When it fell on the ground he said himself picked it but Mustapha apprentices ran away and while he tried to spray it but he couldn’t because he was bleeding from the beating he got from them.
He said he went to Kanifing Police Station to report the matter where he was instructed to go to the hospital accompanied by a police officer.
At that juncture the case was adjourned to the 27th January 2021. Sub Inspector Jammeh represented IGP.
According to count one of their particulars of offense Mustapha Fatty, Dawda Khan and Ebrima Sylva did on the 1st December 2021 at Bakoteh in the Kanifing Municipality conspired among themselves to commit felony with assault. Count two of their of offense stated that on same day, time and place they unlawfully assaulted one Ma Ebou Njie by hitting him with an iron on his head, used pepper spray and sprayed him in his eye and poured burnt engine oil all over his body.
