By Ousman Saidykhan
In a dramatic courtroom moment on Monday afternoon, Ousainou Bojang’s repeated attempts to log in to his Google account using details from a confiscated diary proved unsuccessful, further complicating his murder trial.
Standing in the witness box, Bojang struggled to access the account with login information he claimed to have recorded in a red-covered diary—a personal item seized by police from his home during their investigation.
The diary surfaced in court after a series of twists. Bojang’s lawyer, Lamin J. Darboe, had asked his client to confirm its ownership during the hearing. “Yes, it’s mine,” Bojang affirmed, identifying the notebook.
Commissioner Sowe presented it to the court following a judicial order to produce all items taken from Bojang’s residence.
Earlier in the trial, Bojang had told the court his Google account details were in the diary, which he said remained at his house and could be retrieved by his brother. However, his brother later informed the court that the police had already taken it, leading to the order for its return.
Bojang needed to access his Google account after resetting his smartphone, a Spark 8 model, which had been locked and inaccessible when police seized it.
Authorities returned the phone to him with a code, though Bojang insisted it was not locked when it was taken. A technician who reset the device warned that its contents would be lost unless Bojang could recover them using his Google account credentials.
However, despite multiple attempts in court, Bojang encountered the same error message: “It indicated ‘couldn’t find your Google account,’” he testified.
Adding to the confusion, Bojang expressed uncertainty about whether the reset phone was even his. “It is a Spark 8, and mine is a Spark 8, too. But this has cracks, and mine does not have that,” he told the court despite being pressed repeatedly for confirmation.
The defense, led by Lamin J Darboe, has now requested permission to bring in an IT specialist to troubleshoot the Google account issue, hoping to unlock potential evidence tied to the phone. The development marks yet another twist in a case already fraught with procedural hurdles as Bojang’s legal team fights to regain access to what could be critical digital records.
The trial presided over by the Justice Ebrima Jaiteh, continues as the court weighs the defense’s request, with the spotlight remaining on the mysterious red diary and the locked secrets of Bojang’s phone.
The charges against the accused include Murder, Prohibition of Acts of Terrorism, causing Grievous Bodily harm, and being an accessory after the fact to Murder, among others.
Prosecutors say on September 12, 2023, in Sukuta, Ousainou Bonjang intentionally caused the death of Police Constable Sang J Gomez and Pateh Jallow by shooting them with a gun.
He was further accused of committing terrorism under section 3(1)(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act by attacking Police Constable Pateh Jallow and Police Constable Sang J Gomez, shooting them with a gun and resulting in their death.
Bojang is also charged with attempted Murder of Police Constable Nancy Jawo by unlawfully trying to cause Constable Jawo’s death by shooting her with a firearm.
He was further accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Police Constable Nancy Jawo with a firearm, inflicting severe physical damage to her.
Amie Bojang, the second accused, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to Murder. She is accused of assisting Ousainou Bojang in evading jurisdiction by aiding his escape from the country despite being aware of his involvement in Murder.
