Gambiaj.com – (KANIFING, The Gambia) – Bakary Jawo, suspected of allegedly drugging and causing the death of a 26-year-old woman, Aja Majula Hydara, was today remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison. The case has been transferred to the High Court due to the gravity of the charges.

Aja Majula Hydara’s death was reported by the police, who stated that she died after consuming an unknown tablet at Dunas Night Club in Senegambia. The presiding magistrate, Principal Magistrate Isatou Sallah Mbai of the Kanifing Magistrates Court, ordered the transfer, citing a lack of jurisdiction to proceed with the case.

According to the indictment filed before the court, Bakary Jawo has been charged with murder contrary to Section 187 of the Criminal Code Cap 10:01 Volume 3 Laws of The Gambia. The prosecution alleged that on or about June 22, 2024, at Dunas Night Club Palma Rima in the Kanifing Municipality, Jawo willfully and knowingly caused Hydara’s death by putting a drug substance in her water bottle, which she then drank.

Police prosecutor Sub-Inspector Kebbeh, representing the Inspector General of Police, informed the court that the offense is a capital one. He applied for the case to be transferred to the Special Criminal Division at the High Court and requested that the accused be remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison, pursuant to Legal Notice 3, Sections 62 and 208A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

In her ruling, Magistrate Sallah Mbai granted the prosecutor’s application, acknowledging that her court lacks the jurisdiction to hear the case. She also ordered that the accused be remanded by virtue of Section 208A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The transfer of the case to the High Court signifies the severity of the charges against Jawo, with the proceedings expected to shed more light on the tragic incident at Dunas Night Club.