Posted by By Halimatou Ceesay
The 15th Prosecution witness Alhajie Bara Gaye, a security officer at the Defunct National Intelligence Agency NIA today 14th May, 2018 has told Justice Kumba Sillah Camara of the Banjul High Court that he helped put Solo Sandeng’s Corpse in the back seat of a pickup on the 14th April, 2016.
Testifying before a fully armed courtroom, the witness said he hailed from Taibatu and has been working as a security at the defunct National Intelligence Agency NIA now State Intelligence Services SIS.
“I have been working there for three years now,” he said.
He told the court that he gets to the office at 8am. He said at work he sits at the reception that is located at the gate observing people entering and leaving the NIA headquarters like VIP’s.
Further giving evidence, the witness states that he could recalled the 14th of April, 2016, whilst at work at 8am at the back gate of the NIA all alone working smoothly without any problems.
“I was there up to 8pm and I saw a black vehicle and opened the gate for the vehicle to leave. It was the DG who was in the vehicle. I don’t know who owns the vehicle and that was the first time I saw that vehicle,” he said.
He adduced that when he close the gate, he went back to the reception and found some people gathered there.
“I saw a man lying at my guard post undressed but left with only pant, whilst his clothes were hanged on the door, he was neither moving nor looking, surrounded by a group of people. Before I could identify any of them, they had left but I was only able to identify Tamba Masireh who also works at the agency,” he said.
The witness added that he then called his boss Mbemba Camara on the phone and told him to hurry and come and see what has been left at his guard post.
“Then Mbemba came and saw it, I then asked him who the dead body was and he said it’s Solo Sandeng, Mbemba then left but later came back with his boss James Mendy. After a while the doctor that works at the NIA, Lamin Lang Sayang also arrived,” he said.
Witness further disclosed that he (the witness) was one of those that helped the doctor to dress the corpse of Solo Sandeng, but was quick to say that he cannot remember the names of the others that helped in dressing the corpse.
He told the court that the corpse of Solo Sandeng was there for a while and apart from seeing and dressing the corpse he did not see the doctor do anything else. He said the doctor came back and put on his gloves and then the corpse was lifted with the mattress it was lying on and put on the back seat of the pickup.
“I, Lamin Sanyang and Sheikh Tijan Camara lifted corpse and put it on the back seat of the pickup, whilst Mbemba Camara was at the main gate,” he said.
He said he did not know the others but the driver of the pickup was there.
Witness was then asked by Senior Counsel A.A.B Gaye to look around the court and tell the court if Lamin Lang Sanyang (the doctor) and Tamba Masireh are in the court, he answered in affirmative. He then came down off the dock and walked to where the accused persons were seated and identified Lamin Lang Sanyang and Tamba Masireh to the court by pointing at them. Tamba Masireh could be seen laughing when the witness pointed at him.
The case continues.