Banjul, The Gambia – In a harrowing testimony before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh at the Banjul High Court, Amie Sowe recounted the brutal attack she allegedly suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Yogu Sowe, also known as Gorgi Sowe. During her emotional account, Amie described how her ex-husband used a cutlass to chop her legs and the fingers of her left hand.

The attack, which occurred in the middle of the night, left Amie severely injured and reliant on a wheelchair. “Yogu attacked me with a cutlass in the middle of the night, in an isolated place where I lived with my children while I was sleeping. He chopped my legs and the fingers of my left hand,” Amie testified.

The accused, Yogu Sowe, faces five counts: attempted murder, assault, causing grievous bodily harm, intentional harm, wounding, and domestic violence. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Amie further explained the difficulties she endured during her marriage, stating she could not recount all the times she was beaten by Yogu. She revealed that the problems began when Yogu sold her cows and promised to give her the proceeds, which never happened. Despite their previous issues, she never imagined he would inflict such pain on her.

State Counsel M. Singhateh asked how Amie recognized her ex-husband during the night of the attack. Amie responded that she was able to identify Yogu because the light in her bedroom was on and he was wearing a turquoise-colored haftan with a scarf around his neck. “When he chopped my leg up to my knee, I shouted and told him, ‘Gorgi, why are you trying to kill me?’ That was when he ran away,” she recounted.

Amie further testified that Yogu had left his second wife and children in bed to attack her. On the night of the attack, she had changed her sleeping position, placing her leg where she usually laid her head. “If he had hit my head instead of my leg, I would have died, and we would have been saying a different thing. I knew it was him as I could recognize him,” she explained.

After Yogu fled, Amie called her son and told him to come and see what his father had done. Her son, devastated, attempted to call for help, but Amie asked him to stay with her, fearing that Yogu might return. Eventually, her relatives Yaya Fandeh and Lamin Kanteh arrived and called the police, who then took her to the hospital.

Amie recounted waking up in the hospital, where she received treatments and underwent surgery. The case has been adjourned until June 10, 2024.