Prosecutors Say Evidence Is ‘Overwhelming’ in 2023 Police Killings, Urge Court to Convict Ousainou and Amie Bojang

Prosecutors have urged the High Court to convict Ousainou Bojang and his sister, Amie Bojang, arguing that the evidence against them in the fatal 2023 shooting of two police officers at the Sukuta–Jabang traffic lights is “overwhelming” and has remained “unshaken” throughout the trial.

In a final written brief submitted before Justice Jaiteh of the High Court, state lawyers said the prosecution had established the guilt of both defendants beyond a reasonable doubt through eyewitness testimony, medical evidence, and what they described as the first accused’s own admissions.

Ousainou Bojang, the first accused, faces five counts, including murder, acts of terrorism, and attempted murder. His sister, Amie Bojang, the second accused, is charged with a single count of being an accessory after the fact to murder, for allegedly helping him flee to Senegal following the shooting.

The case stems from the Sept. 12, 2023, attack at the Sukuta–Jabang traffic lights, where two police officers — Police Constables Sang J. Gomez and Pateh Jallow — were fatally shot and a third officer was critically wounded.

In their final address, prosecutors described the attack as a “cold-blooded act of murder and terrorism,” carried out in a busy public area and supported by a combination of eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and a voluntary confession.

Central to the prosecution’s case are the testimonies of two soldiers, Ismaila Bojang and Bakary R. Jarju, who told the court they witnessed the shooting while returning from the beach. According to the state’s brief, the soldiers testified that they saw the assailant struggle with a male officer before shooting him in the chest, then firing at a female officer who was attempting to flee.

The two soldiers said they pursued the gunman toward Sukuta but that he turned and fired several shots at them during the chase.

Prosecutors noted that the witnesses described the suspect as a tall, slim, bow-legged man wearing a yellowish or ash-colored kaftan and ankle-high shoes — a description they argue closely matches the physical appearance of Ousainou Bojang. One of the soldiers later identified him during an identification parade conducted by a police officer, the brief said.

The prosecution also relied on the medical findings of Dr. Thomas Search, the pathologist who performed the autopsies on the two slain officers. The report concluded that both men died from gunshot wounds that caused massive hemorrhage.

By using a pistol and targeting vital areas of the body, including the chest and neck, prosecutors argued, the accused demonstrated clear intent to kill — meeting the legal threshold for murder.

Another key element of the state’s case involves testimony from Commissioner Momodou Sowe, who escorted Ousainou Bojang back to The Gambia after his arrest near the border. Prosecutors said the accused revealed a detail that had not been made public: that he had shot the windscreen of a vehicle parked at the scene because he believed the driver was recording him.

The owner of the vehicle later confirmed the damage, prosecutors said, reinforcing what they described as the credibility of the statement.

Investigators also recovered a gray kaftan and a pair of Converse-style shoes from the accused’s room in Brufut after he led officers there following his arrest, according to the state’s submission. Prosecutors said the items matched the clothing described by eyewitnesses shortly after the shooting.

The state further cited the testimony of Mama Jabbie, a marabout in Senegal, who told the court that Ousainou Bojang confessed the killings to her while seeking spiritual protection and money to travel further inland. According to prosecutors, Jabbie said the accused admitted killing two police officers and injuring a third, describing the incident as something that “mistakenly happened.”

Jabbie took a photograph and an audio recording of the accused before alerting Senegalese and Gambian authorities, prosecutors said, which ultimately led to his arrest.

Prosecutors rejected the defense’s claim that Jabbie fabricated her account in hopes of collecting a reward of one million dalasis, arguing that her information directly led to the capture of a man she had never previously known.

The prosecution also argued that the shooting met the legal definition of terrorism, saying the attack was carried out in a busy public location in a manner intended to intimidate the public and security forces.

In addition, the state said the surviving officer, who testified through another witness, described being shot while attempting to flee. Prosecutors said firing at an unarmed officer running from the scene constituted a clear act of attempted murder.

The state also referenced testimony from a witness who said he recovered a gun that had been thrown away by a man fleeing the scene, which prosecutors argue was the same weapon the accused admitted discarding during his escape.

Prosecutors dismissed the defense’s claim that Ousainou Bojang had been fleeing from a woman who was allegedly blackmailing him with nude photographs. According to the state’s brief, when investigators asked which social media platform the images were posted on, the accused could not provide an answer.

The prosecution also challenged the defense’s reliance on phone call logs and WhatsApp records to establish an alibi, arguing that such records do not prove the accused’s physical location at the exact time of the shooting and that phones can be left behind or used by others.

Turning to the case against Amie Bojang, prosecutors said the evidence showed she knowingly helped her brother escape after the killings.

A taxi driver testified that news of the shooting was being broadcast on the radio while the siblings were traveling toward the border, prosecutors said, making it “impossible” for her not to have known what had happened.

Prosecutors argued that Amie Bojang did more than simply arrange transportation. They said she accompanied her brother to the Darsilami–Giboro border crossing, helping ensure his passage into Senegal in an effort to evade justice.

“The totality of the evidence,” the state said in its brief, “proves the guilt of both accused persons beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Prosecutors asked the court to find Ousainou Bojang guilty on all five counts and Amie Bojang guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder.