By Ousman Saidykhan
Ousainou Bojang, who is on trial for allegedly killing two PIU officers, said during a court session that he sometimes struggles to breathe in his confinement cell, which he described as “very hot” and without a window, making him feel as though the prison officers are “suffocating him”.
“At the confinement in Mile II, there are one-man cells. The cell I am occupying has no window and is very hot there. Sometimes, I can’t even have proper breathing. To breathe properly, sometimes, I have to come down and lie on the floor closer to the door, so [that] I can breathe,” said Ousainou Bojang.
Ousainou is standing trial for allegedly killing two PIU officers and injuring one in a shooting incident at Sukuta-Jabang Traffic Lights on September 12, 2023. He has since denied the charges.
The state called 13 witnesses before closing its case in July last year. After being asked to open defence when his “no case to answer” failed, Ousainou, in his evidence, denied the allegations put up against him by the prosecution and its 13 witnesses.
He is now almost at the finishing point of his evidence-in-chief and has decided to bring the attention of the court to the manner in which he is allegedly being treated at the confinement.
Speaking in court, Ousainou, said: “Sometimes, the chamber pot is also in the same cell with me. When I open it, the smell covers the whole cell, giving me no space to breathe.”
According to Ousainou, the key to the door of his cell is not with the officers in the prison.
“They took [it] to the riot squad and gave it to them.
“I’m the first person they put and lock inside the cell every day, and the I am last person they would open the door for every morning to come out.
“So, I have the feeling that these people are suffocating me because I have suffered a lot in that cell,” he said.
He also said the police are having his mobile phones – “simple phone” and “smartphone”. Although the phones were taken from him during investigations, they were not tendered in court.
He alleged that he last saw the “smartphone” with one Ebou Sowe at the Anti-Crime Unit, and the “simple phone” with one Lamin Cham.
“Ebou Sowe asked me to unlock the phone for him. I opened it and he went through my WhatsApp and call logs and realised I was telling the truth. He walked away,” Ousainou told the court.
Ousainou’s sister, Amie Bojang, the second accused, is also being tried along with him. She is accused of assisting Ousainou to escape after the alleged crime.
The matter has been adjourned to Monday, January 20, 2025.
