By: Ousman Saidykhan
One Alagie Sonko, a Brusibi native who introduced himself as Lamarana Jallow’s (deceased) roommate, has narrated before the court some conflicts he witnessed between the duo prior to the killing of Lama, allegedly by Kumba Sinyan.
Kumba Sinyan was arrested last year for allegedly killing a 25-year-old Lamarana Jallow at Friendship Hostel in Bakau, an accusation she denied.
The 5th prosecution witness in the trial, Alagie Sonko, told the court he knew Kumba through Lamarana and were dating for over 4-years. He said Kumba, (accused) regularly paid visit to Lamar, but one day, a conflict broke out between the two when he was sleeping in the bedroom.
“They had a problem. I heard noise from the living room. When I went there, I found Lamar holding Kumba’s hands. I advised him to leave her but he said Kumba had a broken bottle and would hurt him if he left her hand. I tried and took the bottle from her and separated them,” witness narrated.
The witness continued that people came to the compound because of the noise but Lamar left and went to a nearby compound. Sonko said the accused tried to follow Lamar but was intercepted by someone.
The witness told the court that he accompanied his roommate to Africmed when the accused left, to treat a wound he sustained from the broken bottle.
The witness narrated sometime later; the accused came knocking at their door at around 2am but Lama would not open. He said the accused then knocked his window for him to open the door for her since Lama said he would not.
“I woke up to open the door but Lamar asked me not to. He told me he had been to Senegambia for a party and had hired a taxi for Kumba but she said she was not going home but she is now coming here knowing fully well that I’m tired and would be going to work tomorrow,” Alagie Sonko narrated.
The witness said he took the key from the door and went back to bed. Shortly after he went back to be, the witness said it started raining so Lama called a taxi driver to pick the accused but she refused and the Taxi driver left.
“Lama called another taxi driver and told Kumba that was her last chance. Then she went,” the witness testified.
He said the following day Lama told him the accused had texted him about termination of their relationship which Lama said he was longing for because of how problematic it had been.
A few weeks later, the witness said after coming back from Nuimi he did not find Lamar at home but found his documents packed and placed on a seat in the house. Lamar didn’t spend the night at home on that day, he said.
The witness said Sally, a woman he said is a mother figure to Lama asked him about Lamar and he told her Lamar did sleep in the house. He said Sally told him maybe Lamar has gone out with his friends because he was travelling out of the country on Thursday, a day after.
“Later, Sally called me again to meet her at the Bakau Police Station. I told her I was going to Foni. She insisted I should go because I didn’t know what happened. I asked her about what happened. She replied that Lamar was found dead at the Friendship Hostel.”
