By: Alieu Ceesay
In a high-stakes courtroom drama gripping The Gambia, High Court Justice Ebrima Jaiteh discharged journalist Bakary Mankajang as the 10th witness for the defense in the murder trial of Ousainou Bojang. Bojang stands accused of gunning down two police officers at Sukuta traffic lights in September 2023, a shocking incident that has ignited nationwide fury over state security failures.
The case, unfolding amid public outrage, resumed Monday in Banjul’s packed High Court. Last session, Justice Jaiteh ordered transcription of Mankajang’s explosive audio interview with Mama Jabbi, a key prosecution witness. Today, the spotlight turned to blistering cross-examinations, exposing potential biases and journalistic ethics in the shadow of presidential power.
Defense Counsel Adama Sillah, representing the second accused, fired the first salvo. “How long have you been a journalist?” he demanded. Mankajang, cool under pressure, replied, “Four to five years.”
The plot thickened as Mankajang detailed his September 14, 2023, interview with Mama Jabbi at her Yarambamba residence in the West Coast Region—a home she shared with President Adama Barrow’s sister, Korka. “Mama chose the location when I called her,” he testified.
Sillah pounced: “Conducting the interview in the President’s sister’s presence—isn’t that interference favoring the President?” State Counsel A. Wakawa leaped up, objecting furiously. Sustained. Mankajang dodged: “I cannot say anything on that.”
Timing was damning. Mankajang confirmed the interview followed Barrow’s public bounty declaration on the suspects—a state announcement that turned the hunt into a national spectacle. “So, Mama Jabbi prejudged the situation before any judicial ruling?” Sillah pressed.
“Yes,” Mankajang conceded flatly.
But the interview skirted the second accused entirely, Mankajang added, a revelation that hung heavy in the air.
Then Wakawa seized the reins for the prosecution, grilling Mankajang on credentials: a journalism diploma, he confirmed. “Aware of the code of conduct?” Wakawa snapped.
“Yes,” came the reply.
“Are journalists investigators?”
“Journalists investigate,” Mankajang shot back.
Wakawa accused: “You were carrying out unprofessional journalism!”
“You cannot call that unprofessional,” Mankajang retorted defiantly. He insisted he’d never met Mama Jabbi before.
The courtroom buzzed as Justice Jaiteh discharged Mankajang, his testimony a flashpoint in the defense’s bid to undermine prosecution narratives. Tension peaked when Sillah hinted at political meddling, only for Wakawa’s objection to silence it.
The trial is adjourned to October 21, 2025, for the 11th witness. As Bojang’s fate teeters, Gambians watch: Will justice pierce the veil of power, or will Sukuta’s ghosts demand more blood? The nation holds its breath.
