Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – In a gripping testimony before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh at the High Court in Banjul on Tuesday, Amie Sowe recounted a series of threats and violent acts allegedly perpetrated by her husband, Yugo Sowe. She vividly described how Yugo had threatened her life multiple times in relation to a contentious land issue.

During the cross-examination by defense counsel O. Susso, Amie detailed the events leading up to the brutal attack in which her legs were chopped and fingers on her left hand were severed. She stated, “Yugo Sowe told me that if I did not let the land matter go, he would kill me. I saw him. I can swear on the Quran anytime that he is the one. I can forgive the accused, but he is the one.”

Two days before the attack, Amie was warned by a friend that Yugo intended to burn the house she shared with her children. This threat was consistent with Yugo’s history of telling her he would kill her during their arguments. When asked by the defense counsel if her past experiences with Yugo made her regard him as the prime suspect, she affirmed, citing his frequent threats.

The defense argued that jealousy over the land, which Yugo wanted to allocate to his second wife, was the root cause of the conflict. Amie admitted she was unhappy about this, as her co-wife lived in better conditions with a fenced property and electricity. However, she insisted that her primary concern was Yugo’s tendency to waste resources by selling their land.

Amie rejected the defense’s suggestion that she and her children intimidated Yugo out of jealousy, explaining that she was not the only wife and all their children were suffering due to Yugo’s negligence. She shared how she had to sell firewood and charcoal to support the family because Yugo did not provide for them.

She described the dire living conditions and the destitution of Yugo’s children, whom she cared for as her own. Amie further revealed that during their 23 years of marriage, she had been divorced and evicted multiple times, only for her neighbors to intervene and secure her a place to stay.

Amie recounted the domestic violence she endured and claimed that Yugo had cast a spell on her, which prevented her from reporting the abuse. She vowed on the Quran that these supernatural threats kept her silent.

The court adjourned the case to July 8, 2024, as the trial continues to unfold.