By Sainabou Sambou
The High Court in Banjul resumed hearing evidence on Wednesday in the high-profile murder trial stemming from a deadly 2019 land clash between residents of Gunjur and Berending, with prosecution witness Ebrima Colley delivering tense testimony about the chaotic confrontation that left one man dead and others injured.
Bubacarr Drammeh, the accused, faces serious charges, including the murder of Buba Jammeh and the attempted murder of Ebrima Darboe (widely known as Faburama Darboe). The alleged offences occurred on March 16, 2019, amid a long-standing dispute over farmland in the forested area linking the two communities.
Presiding over the matter is Justice Omar Cham. The prosecution team, led by State Counsel M.D. Mballow and assisted by I. Camara and N.F. Njie presented his case, while defence counsel L.S. Camara represented Drammeh.
Taking the stand as Prosecution Witness Six (PW6), Ebrima Colley, a construction technician from Brikama, provided a detailed recollection of the day’s events. He told the court he arrived at the disputed land around 10:00 a.m., accompanied by his brother and several others, intending to clear vegetation and demarcate an area using a bulldozer.
Colley testified that he was unaware of any ongoing land dispute when the group began work. “If I had known there was a dispute, I would not have gone there,” he stated emphatically.
The witness explained that members of his group carried cutlasses to help clear trees and grass along what they described as an access road. They had reportedly cleared approximately 300 metres when a group of more than ten individuals from Berending approached from the uncleared side of the area and positioned themselves behind the bulldozer.
According to Colley, the situation escalated rapidly. He alleged that the accused, Bubacarr Drammeh, approached the bulldozer, fired a warning shot into the air, and then discharged the weapon toward the machine. Colley confirmed someone was operating the bulldozer at the time and that he immediately instructed the operator to shut off the engine.
Colley recounted jumping down from the equipment and engaging in a physical struggle with the gunman, grabbing the barrel of the firearm. “I asked him, ‘How are you behaving?’” he recalled telling the individual.
The witness described how, during the tussle, another man approached him from behind, wielding a knife, prompting him to release the gun out of fear of being stabbed. He claimed he identified himself as being from Brikama, only to be told, “This is not the land of Brikama.”
Colley insisted he clearly saw Drammeh armed with a gun that day and rejected defence suggestions that he had not witnessed the accused at the scene or that his memory of key details had faded over time.
Under rigorous cross-examination by defence counsel L.S. Camara, Colley acknowledged he had no prior acquaintance with Drammeh before March 16, 2019, and that no one pointed out or identified the accused to him on the day of the incident. He also admitted he did not personally know the deceased Buba Jammeh, though his father did.
The witness confirmed that he provided a police statement on April 2, 2019—roughly three weeks after the incident—when the events were still fresh. The defence successfully applied to tender this statement as Defence Exhibit 4 (DE4), which Colley identified in court.
Despite questions about whether six years had dimmed his recollection, Colley maintained the trauma of the episode remained vivid. He said he was so shaken that he did not return to work for a full week afterward.
In re-examination by State Counsel M.D. Mballow and Colley reaffirmed that he had seen the accused before February 11, 2026, reinforcing his identification.
The case, which has drawn significant attention due to its roots in a protracted communal land conflict, continues to unfold in the High Court. Justice Cham adjourned proceedings to Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. for further hearings.
