Chief Superintendent Lamin Cham, head of investigations at the Police Anti-Crime Unit, testified before Magistrate Anna O. Mendy at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court as the inquest into the death of Omar Badjie formally began.
The inquiry, ordered by Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow, seeks to determine the circumstances surrounding Badjie’s death, which occurred on September 26, 2025, in Mandinary Village, Kombo North, West Coast Region.
Before Superintendent Cham took the stand, Magistrate Mendy addressed a procedural matter concerning a letter sent to Badjie’s family. The magistrate asked Counsel Njie, who represents the family, whether the letter had been received.
Counsel Njie informed the court that the family had initially refused to accept the letter, instructing that it be served through their lawyer. However, after the process server insisted, the family eventually accepted it and brought the unopened letter to his office the following day, around 3:00 p.m.
Magistrate Mendy explained that the court had requested the family to provide the name, address, and written statement of a witness. Counsel Njie disputed this, reading the letter aloud in court, noting that it only mentioned the purpose of the inquest, the coroner’s appointment, and requested the family to “make yourself available” on October 9, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. for examination, along with any relevant materials.
In response, Magistrate Mendy assured Counsel Njie that a new letter would be prepared for the family, specifically requesting the witness details and statements.
After the procedural matter was settled, Chief Superintendent Cham took the witness stand and swore on the Holy Quran to speak the truth. He identified himself as a resident of Sukuta and the head of investigations at the Anti-Crime Unit, based in Banjulinding.
The proceedings began with a question-and-answer session between Magistrate Mendy and Superintendent Cham concerning the events leading to Omar Badjie’s death.
When asked if he could recall the events of September 26, Cham said he could. He explained that at around 11:30 a.m., while at home, he received a call from Commissioner Momodou Sowe of the Anti-Crime Unit. The commissioner informed him that the Mandinary Police Substation had been attacked following the death of Omar Badjie.
Cham testified that initial information revealed that four police officers—Sulayman Jarju, CP Mamadi Jallow, CP Ebrima Touray, and CP Fasainey Cham—had an encounter with Omar Badjie, who subsequently collapsed. Badjie was first rushed to the Mandinary Health Center and later transferred to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cham added that Commissioner Sowe instructed him to constitute an investigation panel, following directives from Crime Management Commissioner Boto Keita.
Magistrate Mendy asked, “Who constitutes the panel,”?
Chief Superintendent Lamin Cham told the court that the investigative panel comprised himself, DSP Amadou Kujabi, Chief Inspector Lamin Sowe, and Sub-Inspector Buba Touray.
He went on to outline the sequence of events leading to Omar Badjie’s death. According to his investigation, one of the officers pursued Badjie for approximately 200 meters before apprehending him. Cham testified that Badjie was then allegedly assaulted by Officer Sulayman Jarju, who struck him several times with a stick.
When asked to identify the eyewitnesses interviewed during the investigation, Superintendent Cham requested permission to refer to the case file. After reviewing the witness statements, he named Majula Jammeh, Ousainou Keita, Musa Kanyi, and Toumama Badjie as individuals who provided accounts of the incident.
Cham further testified that following the formation of the panel, all four police officers involved were taken into custody. The investigation team also interviewed an eyewitness from Mandinary, recorded statements from the officers, and conducted a visit and reconstruction of the crime scene.
In response to Magistrate Mendy’s question about the initial encounter, Cham explained that the officers claimed they were on a routine patrol when they came across a group of young men allegedly smoking cannabis. Upon seeing the police, the group fled — among them was Omar Badjie.
“How was the deceased apprehended by the officer?” Magistrate Mendy asked.
Chief Superintendent Cham recounted the officers’ version of events leading to Badjie’s apprehension, stating that “Omar was chased and fell down, exhausted, and collapsed in the grass and was forced to stand up, but Omar told them he was too weak to stand, and that was where he was assaulted by Sulayman Jarju.”
“As an investigator, did you have anything to tender to the court?” Magistrate Mendy asked.
Chief Superintendent Cham replied that the full investigation report was still pending, as they were awaiting the post-mortem results from the medical examiner.
Magistrate Mendy then inquired about the alleged weapon used in the assault. “What about the alleged material used like a stick?”
“We were unable to trace the stick,” Cham said, “but we were able to see a mango tree where the branch of a mango tree was cut and used to beat the deceased.”
He added that photographs of the crime scene were taken, including images of the mango tree and measurements showing a distance of 353 meters between the spot where Badjie fell and the main scene of the incident.
Chief Superintendent Cham presented the court with the written statements of the four police officers involved in the case. He noted that Officer Sulayman Jarju had provided two separate statements—one taken at the police station outside the panel proceedings, and another before the investigative panel, the latter being a confessional statement.
Magistrate Anna O. Mendy admitted the officers’ statements into evidence and marked them as exhibits LC1 to LC5. Counsel Njie, representing the family of the deceased, requested copies of the documents, a request which the magistrate granted.
The matter was adjourned to Monday, October 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., for the continuation of the inquest and the appearance of additional witnesses. Superintendent Cham is expected to be recalled to present the post-mortem report once it becomes available.
The next hearing is expected to focus on the medical findings and eyewitness testimonies, which are anticipated to shed further light on the circumstances surrounding Omar Badjie’s death.