By Sainabou Sambou
The murder trial of Buba Jallow, also known as Buba J, accused of stabbing electrician Ebou Njie to death in Latrikunda German, was adjourned on Tuesday after the State apologized to Justice I. Janneh of the Bundung High Court for the late filing of the indictment.
The court adjourned the matter to October 26, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. for arraignment and to continue the proceedings. State Counsel Almustapha Tambari appeared with H.S. Marong and Z.K.S. Jorbateh, while Defense Counsel F. Jammeh represented the accused.
The case was first heard at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, which ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to try a capital offense and transferred it to the High Court. At an earlier hearing, Jallow told the court he could not secure a lawyer because prison authorities had kept him in isolation. The court ordered the State to provide him with legal aid.
On Tuesday, Tambari apologized for the delay, explaining that the prosecution needed to complete additional paperwork and internal procedures to prepare the indictment properly. He said he had consulted a colleague who originally handled the case and, as a newly posted counsel, had worked extra hours—remaining in the office until 8 p.m. on Monday—to put the files in order.
The team divided tasks among members, and the indictment was filed on Tuesday morning. However, some documents still needed to be forwarded to the Office of the Chief Justice for processing and case assignment.
Tambari applied for a short adjournment to complete the outstanding procedures. Defense Counsel Jammeh told the court that the defense had not yet been served with a copy of the indictment. She did not oppose the application but urged the court to grant a short adjournment so the prosecution could serve the document.
Justice Janneh granted the adjournment to October 26. The trial remains pending full arraignment once service is completed and the court is satisfied that procedural requirements have been met.
