By Sainabou Sambou
The High Court, presided over by Justice Omar Cham, on Thursday continued to hear testimony in the high-profile murder and attempted murder case stemming from a deadly 2019 land clash between residents of Gunjur and Berending communities.
Prosecutor MD Mballow leads the state’s case. At the same time, defence counsel LS Camara represents the accused, Bubacarr Drammeh, who faces charges including murder in the death of Buba Jammeh, attempted murder of Ebrima Darboe (popularly called Faburama Darboe), and related counts tied to the violent confrontation.
The fifth prosecution witness, Seedia Touray, a teacher from Gunjur, provided detailed testimony about the events of March 16, 2019. Touray, who has known Darboe since childhood, positively identified Drammeh in court as the man he saw armed with a gun that day.
Touray recounted receiving an early morning call from Darboe, who asked him to accompany him to the disputed farmland between Gunjur and Berending after reports that unknown individuals were clearing it. Arriving between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., they found people actively clearing the land. Darboe questioned them without response; Touray later identified one as Mamadi Ceesay, accompanied by a man known as Wuya.
Tensions escalated as Darboe sent Ebrima Darboe (Ba Saul) and Buba Bojang to alert the police. Arguments ensued, with Darboe warning Ceesay of potential trouble. Touray described two men arriving by motorcycle from Berending and handing “juju” to Wuya, after which Wuya grew aggressive and insulted Gunjur residents. Touray attempted to mediate.
According to Touray, Drammeh then ran toward the scene from the Madina Salam direction, wearing a sleeveless shirt and adorned with juju, carrying a gun. Touray alleged Drammeh knocked a cutlass and phone from his hand, slapped him while he tried to prevent violence, then pointed the gun at Darboe. The first shot missed, but the second struck Darboe in the left leg.
Touray said he pleaded with Berending residents to disarm Drammeh, which they did. He described Wuya kicking the wounded Darboe from behind, causing him to fall, followed by a severe beating with tools by several Berending men, described as brutal and life-threatening. Darboe repeatedly called out to Touray for help as others fled.
While the assault continued, Touray said Drammeh stood near a tree. When Touray ran toward Gunjur for assistance, Drammeh allegedly ordered him to stop and fired two shots, neither of which hit him.
Touray reported the incident to the Alkalo and Chief of Gunjur, shared details in the Gunjur Development Forum, believing Darboe had died, and later learned Darboe survived, was discharged from the hospital, and visited him at home.
Under vigorous cross-examination by LS Camara, Touray acknowledged that the long-standing land dispute had previously been reported to the police and courts. He clarified that he went with Darboe only to verify intruders and facilitate a police report. He denied claims of over 50 people being present, insisting that about eight went to the land, and maintained that the Jammeh Kunda demarcation issue was separate.
Touray stood firm that Drammeh arrived alone around 11:00 a.m. armed with a gun, emphatically rejecting suggestions that Drammeh never fired shots. He swore on the Qur’an that he personally witnessed Drammeh shoot Darboe.
The sixth prosecution witness, Ebrima Colley, a construction technician from Brikama Bojang Kunda, testified that he knew Buba Jammeh and recognized the accused, though not closely.
Colley said Jammeh hired him to clear land at the Gunjur-Berending boundary using a bulldozer, removing about 300 meters. Around ten armed men from Berending—some with cutlasses, knives, and a gun—approached. Colley alleged Jammeh fired a warning shot into the air, then shot at the bulldozer. Colley struggled with Jammeh over a locally made gun.
During the struggle, another man approached Colley with a knife but told him to leave, saying the dispute did not concern him. Colley retreated and later saw Jammeh step behind Drammeh, after which Drammeh fired a shot at Jammeh from less than one meter away.
Colley testified that Jammeh fell, was beaten by Berending residents, and suffered a severe abdominal wound with intestines protruding. Jammeh was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries.
The trial was adjourned to February 11, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for continuation of evidence.
The case, rooted in a protracted land dispute that turned violent in March 2019, has drawn significant attention in the Kombo South area, with Drammeh having been a fugitive for years before his 2025 arrest and arraignment.
