Omar Bojang, a native of Old Yundum and NIA Director for West Coast Region who is the second prosecution witness in the ongoing murder trial involving the nine ex-NIA officers on Tuesday told the High Court that late Solo Sandeng fainted in his presence and Yankuba Badjie ordered that he be placed under a fan at the interrogation office.
He said this was after hearing a cry in the nearby room opposite where Yankuba Badjie was seated. He said after sometimes, Yankuba Badjie ordered that the person be brought out for interrogation and he (Bojang) later realized that it’s somebody he knew in the person of late Solo Sandeng.
The erstwhile NIA Director General Yankuba BadjiE and eight others namely; Louis Richard Leese Gomez, his deputy, Saihou Omar Jeng, ex- director of operations, Babucarr Sallah, Yusupha Jammeh, Haruna Susso, Tamba Masireh, Lamin Darboe and Lamin Lang Sanyang, are charged with twelve counts offences, ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, murder, assaults causing actual bodily harm amongst other charges.
Giving his evidence, Bojang who has been serving the agency for the 25 years and was Director of Technical Services at the time said he was directly answerable to then Director General of then NIA, Yankuba Badjie. He said normally, as operatives, they don’t close earlier than their bosses instead wait until their boss closes and leave when they will also follow.
He said on a faithful day in April 2016 at closing time, he went to his former boss Yankuba Badjie to take permission to go home.
“When I went there, I found him seated on a seat opposite his office. Then, I stood near him and within minutes, I heard crying in a room not far from where we were. I told him (Yankuba Badjie) sir, who are these people. He replied that they are UDP people who were demonstrating. I told him sir, is it safe to bring this people here especially this politicians because it can come back to you. But I realized that his mood change and he was not happy” he said.
According to him, Yankuba Badjie then demanded for one of the UDP militants for interrogation whom he (Bojang) knew to be one Solo Sandeng. He said when Solo Sandeng was brought out, he fainted even before Yankuba Badjie could talk to him. He said Yankuba Badjie then ordered that he be taken under the fan inside the Interrogation Office.
“Then Yankuba Badjie boarded his car and left and I also followed him and went home” he told the court.
During heated cross-examination by Defense Counsel C.E Mene, witness Bojang said on that day, he went home between 01:00am to 02:00am and that Yankuba Badjie left before that time.
He told the court that he has no experience in First Aid but insisted that he was present when late Solo Sandeng fell down in front of Yankuba Badjie. He said he only has official relations with Yankuba Badjie and not personal relationship.
