Bakau young boys robbery case progresses

    By Dawda Faye     Sering Abou Jallow, a police officer, being led by Inspector Cherno Baba Jallow, was asked to continue his testimony from where he stopped during the last sitting on the 8th September, 2026. He was testifying in the case involving Lamin Bojang, Dawda Darboe, Ousman Sarr, Muhammed L. Sanyang and two other minors, all from Bakau, who were on the 22nd July, 2026, arraigned before Magistrate F. J. Camara of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court and charged on two counts of robbery and conspiracy to commit felony.  Continuing his testimony, the witness told the court that when an undisclosed informant told him that the accused persons were stationed at Bakau Lower Basic School, he called the PIU for reinforcement. He stated that they came, adding that he went with them. He further said that the accused persons were arrested. He adduced that they were taken to the Bakau New Town Police Station. He further testified that they confessed to committing the offences.  “Cautionary and voluntary statements were obtained from them.  According to the complainant, Sheikh Dicko, a shopkeeper, it was Assan Barrow who signalled Lamin Bojang to forcefully take the mobile phone of the complainant, which he did. Lamin Bojang then ran away and was pursued by the complainant, who pleaded with him to give him back his phone. The other accused persons joined them and asked the complainant the person who took his phone. They told him to give them D2,000 to give him back his phone,” he told the court.         It could be recalled that in his earlier testimony, Officer Jallow told the court that he is attached at the Criminal Investigation Department Unit at Bakau New Town Police Station. He stated that on the 19th July, 2026, he received a compiled case file which was forwarded to the Charge Room and then to the CID unit. He further told the court: “Going through the file, I communicated to the complainant, Sheikh Dicko, a shopkeeper at Mamakoto. He told me that the accused persons came to his shop and gave him a phone number for him to send them D2000 through wave. He told them he could send them D1500, which he did. I then asked him to give me the phone number through which he sent the money via wave. He gave it to me. I dialed it and the name which appeared on the screen was Assan Barrow. He responded and I told him that he was needed at Bakau New Town Police Station. He then rang off the phone.  I checked my phone on WhatsApp and I saw Assan Barrow’s picture. An undisclosed informant saw the picture and told me that he knows   Assan Barrow and he lives at Farokono. I went there and found his father and told him that his son was needed at the station. He then told me that Assan had just left and further said that Assan lives with his mother at Kunkujang Keitaya. He told me that he will tell Assan that he was needed at the station. The same undisclosed informant told me that these young boys are a gang who always gather at Bakau Lower Basic School and they were at the school at the time.” The case was subsequently adjourned until the 7th October, 2026, for the prosecutor to tender the cautionary and voluntary statements of the accused persons.     . Prosecutors alleged that the accused persons on or about the 19 July 2026 at Bakau, in the Kanifing Municipality of the Republic of The Gambia, robbed one Sheikh Dicko by forcefully taking away his mobile phone Mark Samson A14, valued at D8,000.  The two minors were subsequently granted bail in the sum of D100,000 with a Gambian surety each. They should attain the age of 30 or above and should surrender their ID cards to the registrar of the court. They should also swear to an affidavit of means. The remaining four were also granted bail on the same conditions on the 12 August 2026.