Four PIU Officers Charged With Murder

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Alieu Ceesay

17 May 2011

Urr — Four officers of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) of the Gambia Police Force (GPF) in the Upper River Region (URR) Monday appeared before Justice Emmanuel Nkea of the Basse High Court charged with murder contrary to the Criminal Code, Laws of The Gambia.

According to the particulars of offence, Modou Colley, Bakary Demba, Babucarr Fatty and Babucarr Jobe, all PIU officers on the 27th January 2011 at Numuyel Village in URR unlawfully caused the death of one Demba Sibey of Numuyel, and thereby committed an offence. All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At yesterday’s sitting, Bachilly Konateh, first prosecution witness (PW1) in the case told the court that he knows the accused persons, saying he was at Numuyel on the day of the incident. According to him, two people, Sulayman Sibey and Kalilu Sibey informed him that the PIU apprehended the deceased, of which he went with them to appeal for the release of the boy but to no avail, as they were told that their senior man, who is Babucarr Jobe, the first accused person, went to Gambissara. Konateh said they were ordered by the 3rd accused, Babucarr Fatty, to leave the premises of the guard post, and they complied accordingly.

He further told the court that they later came back in the afternoon to appeal again but still did not succeed. He said he later went home in order to go to his garden. He said while he was at his garden, he received information that Dembo Sibey died.

Madi Trawally, a police officer attached to the Basse Police Station, who was the second prosecution witness, equally identified the four men. He said on the 28th January 2011 while on duty at the station, he was assigned by the Officer Commanding CID Office to obtain a cautionary statement from the guards commander, Bakary Demba, the 2nd accused, which he said he did accordingly. He further told the court that the statement was obtained in the presence of an independent witness by the name Abdoulie Taal. The statement was then tendered in court as an exhibit.

Abdou Sibey, who was PW3, also told the court that when he got the information about his late brother, Demba Sibey’s arrest, he went to appeal for his release and found that his brother’s hands and legs were tied to a wood. He said when he went along with food Demba could not eat but demanded for water. According to him, his brother then asked for help to go to the toilet, as he could not stand on his feet. He said when they arrived at the toilet Demba collapsed and died instantly.

PW4 Kalilu Sibey told the crowded court that when Demba Sibey was arrested, they went there to appeal for his release but were unsuccessful. He said they were asked by PW1 to give him D500 to convince the officers but he said the officers later said the amount was small. Kalilu said they then added D1000 to make it D1500, but the officers demanded for D3000, which they could not afford.

The presiding judge at that juncture adjourned the case to today, 17th May, 2011 for continuation.

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