Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Samba Sey, who is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing Omar Touray with a knife on July 1, 2020, in Sukuta, West Coast Region, has testified in his defense before the court, denying any involvement in the killing. The offense is punishable under Section 188 of the Criminal Code of The Gambia.
Taking the witness stand, Sey told the court that on the day in question he woke up in the morning, took a bath, and went to work, where he remained until around the Maghrib prayer before closing for the day.
He testified that after work he went to the house of a friend, where he usually spends some time before returning home. According to him, he stayed there until around 11 p.m. before informing his friend that he was leaving because he had work to do the following morning.
Sey stated that there were three people at the house at the time and that one of them accompanied him when he left. He added that they walked together until reaching the gate of his compound, where they parted ways.
The accused further testified that he entered his house and went to the kitchen to look for food before retiring to his bed to relax. He said he did not sleep early and confirmed that he lives alone.
According to Sey, while he was lying on his bed, some people knocked on his door. When he opened it, he found police officers outside who told him they needed him to go with them to the police station.
He told the court that before leaving, one of the officers instructed the others to search the house to see whether they could find a knife. Sey said the officers searched his room but only found spanners and other mechanical tools. He was then handcuffed and taken to Sukuta Police Station.
At the station, Sey testified that he was placed in a cell before officers later brought him out and asked whether he had fought with “Papa Sey,” the deceased. He said he denied the allegation, insisting that he had neither quarrelled nor fought with anyone on the day of his arrest.
He further claimed that the police told him another person had seen him having a problem with the deceased. According to Sey, the officers asked him to write a statement, but he refused, telling them he had done nothing wrong.
He alleged that at that point a police officer swept him off his feet and slapped him in an attempt to force him to give a statement. At the end of his evidence-in-chief, the accused firmly denied killing anyone.
During cross-examination, Sey was asked whether he could recall the officers who came to arrest him at his home. He responded that he only recognized one officer, identified as Jawo, adding that the others had masks covering their faces.
When asked how he recognised the officer, Sey explained that he had previously reported a robbery case to Jawo after his belongings were stolen, which was how he came to know him.
He told the court that about five police officers came to arrest him.
Sey also maintained that apart from reporting the robbery incident, he had no other relationship with the officer.
When shown cautionary and voluntary statements and asked whether they belonged to him, the accused said he could not determine that because he did not attend school and cannot read or write in English.
However, when pressed further, Sey said he could recognize one of the statements because it had red text on the paper.
He nevertheless denied that the contents of the cautionary and voluntary statements reflected his words, alleging that the police wrote the statements themselves.
Due to time constraints, the prosecution applied for an adjournment to continue the cross-examination of the defense witness (DW1). The court subsequently adjourned the matter to Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 12 p.m.
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