By Sainabou Sambou
The High Court in Banjul, presided over by Justice Omar Cham, resumed the high-profile sex trafficking trial of Ajibola Shade, alias Tubab, on Wednesday, as prosecution witness Seedy Bojang faced intense cross-examination. Shade faces six criminal counts, including trafficking in persons and living on the earnings of prostitution. Accused of exploiting four Nigerian women—Faith Atum Edem, Mercy William Abiri, Anthoney Esther Okon, and Dada Nwakaego—by recruiting and transporting them to The Gambia for sexual exploitation.
The court session delved into the financial operations of the alleged trafficking ring, with defence counsel Kennedy pressing Bojang, an investigating officer, on key details. A central focus was a contribution book recovered from Shade’s premises, which listed a group fund referred to as the “meeting money.” Bojang confirmed that the name “Bestie” appeared in the book as a contributor. When Kennedy revealed that “Bestie” is another alias for Shade, Bojang admitted he was unaware, as the accused had only identified herself as Ajibola Shade or Tubab during the investigation.
The defence challenged Bojang’s findings, particularly regarding the daily payments of D1,000 (approximately USD 14) allegedly collected from the victims. Bojang testified that the investigation showed the women were required to hand over these earnings to Shade, who reportedly deposited the funds into her Zenith Bank account. When confronted with deposit slips found in her room, Shade allegedly admitted to Bojang that she managed these transactions. However, under cross-examination, Bojang conceded that this admission was not explicitly documented in the accused’s formal statement, although it was included in the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) report he co-authored with his colleague, Haddy Jatta.
Counsel Kennedy sought to have the IPO report admitted as evidence, marking it Exhibit DE3. Despite an objection from state counsel M.B. Mballow, who noted that the defence already had access to the document, Justice Cham overruled and admitted it. The defence then pointed to a specific entry on page 14 of the report, which recorded a deposit of D105,000.35 into Zenith Bank between February and September 2014, attributed to an individual named Joy. Bojang admitted that the report did not explicitly state Shade’s verbal admission about depositing the funds herself, exposing a potential gap in the documentation.
The cross-examination also explored the identity of “Bestie,” a name mentioned by the victims as their roommate. Bojang clarified that he never met Bestie and that the investigation focused only on cooperative individuals, leaving her identity unverified. This revelation raised questions about the thoroughness of the police inquiry, as Kennedy suggested that both the accused and the victims contributed to the same fund, a claim Bojang disputed, insisting that Shade was the sole beneficiary.
The charges against Shade are severe, alleging violations of the Trafficking in Persons Act of 2007 and the Criminal Code of The Gambia. Count 1 accuses her of recruiting, transporting, and receiving the four Nigerian women in 2024 for trafficking purposes. Counts 2 through 5 detail specific instances of transporting each woman—Edem on August 18, Abiri on July 12, and Okon and Nwakaego in August 2024—to her apartment in Senegambia, Kanifing Municipality, for prostitution. Count 6 alleges that Shade knowingly lived on the earnings of prostitution by controlling and compelling the women’s activities.
The court heard that the victims were allegedly harbored in Shade’s apartment, where they were subjected to exploitation. The daily D1,000 payments, according to the prosecution, were funneled to Shade, who maintained control over the women’s earnings.
Counsel Kennedy requested an adjournment due to a scheduling conflict, which state counsel Mballow did not oppose. Justice Cham adjourned the case to October 8, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., for further proceedings.
