By Mama A. Touray
The third prosecution witness in the murder trial of Ousainou Bojang has testified under cross-examination that she recorded her conversation with the suspect, regarding the shooting to death of paramilitary officers and the grievous injuring of another at Sukuta/Jabang Traffic Lights in September but said she could not produce the audio recording of her conversation with Ousainou.
The lawyer for Ousainou, Lamin J. Darboe, asked the witness to produce the audio of her conversation with Ousainou following her claim in court that she took a photo of the suspect and recorded her conversation with him when he met her in Jululung at 2pm on 13 September 2023.
Jabbi testified that she did not record the entire conversation but was quick to add that the recording captured the time when Ousainou was telling her that he killed someone. She, however, said she lost everything on her whatsApp because she removed the sim card from her phone as a result of the constant insultsshe was receiving from the public. Jabbitestified that the audio may be on the internet and counsel Darboe put to her that if the audio is on the internet, she should then retrieve it and provide it to the court.
“I may have it if I call someone. If anyone is having it in the internet, they can send me because I don’t have it,” she replied.
Jabbi told the court that she did not telephone any Gambian police officer as regards Ousainou, saying it was one Musa Camara she called to inform him that she apprehended Ousainou. She testified Musa received the call when she called the wife, adding that she was communicating with Camara on the wife’s phone till he reached Jululung. She replied in the affirmative when asked whether she knew Camara’s wife.
Further asked whether she gave any statement to the police, the witness replied: “Yes, I have given the police my statement at the Anti-Crime Unit. I cannot remember the date I gave them the statement.”
She recalled that she identified herself to the police as Mama Jabbi; a resident of Sukuta and a housewife.
The statement was tendered in evidence and admitted as an exhibit.
The defense counsel meanwhile put to Jabbi that her call log revealed that she was at the border at Basori on 10 September to cross over to Jululung.
When put to her that she told the court that she left Dakar for Jululung on 12 August 2023, Jabbi responded “Yes, I told the police that I left Dakar on a Tuesday via night ride and reached Jululung around 2 am.”
“In fact, I am putting it to you that you crossed the border at Basori on the 10 September 2023, and disappeared for two days and surfaced in Jululung,” counsel Darboe put to Jabbie.
“I don’t know what he is saying,” she replied.
“In fact, you were at Basori on 10 September 2023, at 4:56 pm and am putting it to you that on 11th and 12th of September, you made no calls in The Gambia because you were not in The Gambia,” counsel Darboe further put to the witness but she replied that she did not remember all what the counsel was saying.
When told that her statement showed that she was out of The Gambia from 12-30 August, Jabbie said: “I forgot. I cannot remember because I am not educated”
Darboe told the witness that the call record from her Africellline indicated that she was in The Gambia from 17-25 August.She, however, said she could not remember.
Asked whether she had gone to Brufut on 13 September 2023, when Ousainou Bojang was apprehended, she replied: “Yes, we went with Ousainou Bojang but I was in the vehicle and did not alight.”
“Is it correct that at 9:22 pm, you were at Brufut junction; where the workplace and home of the first accused are situated,” asked counsel Darboe.
“No. What I said was that we all came from Jululung and I was in the vehicle and I was not alone at Brufut on that day.”
Darboe put it to Jabbi that her call record showed that she was at Brufut junction at 21:22 on the 13 September 2023.
“That is not me,” she replied.
It was said to her that, from Brufut she did not go home straight but went to Old Yundum and she said that did not happen.
“According to your call record you were at old Yundum at 23:28 on the 13 September 2023, the day the accused was apprehended” and she said the day the first accused was captured, she reached home around 3 am.
Justice Jaiteh referred the witness back to the question and she replied that she couldn’t remember.
Counsel Darboe further told her that she spent the night at Old Yundum and at 6 am on the 14th of September 2023 you were at old Yundum and she responded: “Yes the day the first accused was captured, I spent the night at Old Yundum because people were calling, insulting from all social media platforms ranging from Tik Tok, WhatsApp and threatening me as well”.
When asked if the Qcel number given to the police was registered in her name, the witness said yes it was registered in her name and it’s her WhatsApp number.
“I am putting it to you that the number is registered in the name of Musa Camara” and she said she knows it as her Qcel number and not Musa Camara’s number.
“But According to your statement given to the police, the Qcelnumber is your number” The witness said she is not denying what counsel Darboe was saying but she does not memorize her phone number because she is not educated.
The matter will resume on 4 December 2023 for the continuation of cross-examination of the state witness.