By Dawda Baldeh
An eyewitness has described the final moments of Omar Badjie, who allegedly died after being beaten by police in Mandinary, saying he watched the young man die in custody.
“He told the police to give him five minutes to see what’s going to happen,” said Ousman Manneh, who spoke to Kerr Fatou about the incident. “I was standing next to him as I watched him die. The police are the ones who killed him. What they are saying is not true.”
Manneh said he was with Badjie before the police arrived. “He smokes cannabis, but that day he wasn’t having anything,” he said. According to Manneh, police chased and beat another man named Muhammed before pursuing Badjie, who briefly escaped.
“I saw him [CID officer] beating Boye [Badjie] before he escaped,” Manneh said, referring to a CID officer. “They handcuff him and beat him until they overpowered him.”
Manneh said a woman who witnessed the arrest told him police struck Badjie on the back of the neck. He added: “I told the police that they beat Boye, but they denied it. I insisted they beat him. If the IGP wants to let them invite me anywhere, I will go and testify.”
He disputed police claims that Badjie was taken to the hospital in a vehicle. “They wanted to use a motorcycle to take him to the health center, but we insisted, and they carried him like that. Some hold his legs and others hold other parts of his body.”
“When I saw Boye, I knew he would die because I had watched over many people dying in the hospital,” Manneh said, describing Badjie as “a humble, respectful, and hardworking young man.”
The police stated in an official statement that Badjie fell and died during a hot pursuit, rather than being beaten.
