By Sainabou Sambou
Lona Jackson, widow of murdered truck owner Leonard Dominic, testifying virtually from the United Kingdom, identified the 1st accused, Ibra Foli, as the man she believes lured her husband to his death on 19 October 2024.
“I know him as Ibra,” she told Justice Omar Cham. “He once jumped over our wall at night, shouting for my husband to come out, waving his passport and claiming it was illegal for Leonard to drive the truck.”
Mrs Jackson, Prosecution Witness 4, testified that on the fateful day, her husband – also known as Lamin – left their Brufut Garden home in a green car driven by Ibra Foli. She said several men inside the vehicle were hiding their faces.
“I begged him not to go back,” she said, breaking down. “He was sick, and there were too many people in that car. He stepped out only to collect money from me, and I told him, ‘Don’t return.’ He said, ‘I’ll be fine.’ That was the last time I saw him alive.”
The widow revealed that Ibra had lived in their home for four weeks earlier, after allegedly demanding D8,000 from her husband for “pulling the truck”. She insisted the same green car had previously been offered to Leonard when his own vehicle broke down.
Under intense cross-examination by defence counsel Samuel Ade, Mrs Jackson admitted trauma had blurred some memories. She could not recall the exact dates she gave police statements, nor could she recall precisely when she learned of the arrests. She also conceded she never told police her husband was known as Lamin.
When counsel suggested Ibra Foli was neither the owner nor driver of the green car and was not with the deceased on 19 October, Mrs Jackson fired back: “He was with my husband. Twenty minutes after he left, Leonard called and said Ibra was in the car with him.”
Ibra Foli, 1st accused, faces murder for allegedly stabbing Leonard Dominic multiple times in the chest and neck with malice aforethought at Brufut, Ghana Town. Co-accused Alfusainey Jallow, Dawda Sonko, and Malick Njie are charged with assisting in concealing the crime.
The case was adjourned to 19 January 2026 at 12:00 p.m. for continuation.
