By: Mama A. Touray
Police officer Ousman Gibba, the fifth prosecution witness in the alleged arson trial of former soldier Abdoulie Sanyang, has told the court that Sanyang admitted coming to The Gambia specifically to join a demonstration organised by the GALA Movement.
Sanyang, a former soldier arrested at the Banjul International Airport, is facing charges of contempt of court and arson following remarks he made during an interview on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio.
Officer Gibba, a 15-year veteran attached to the State Investigation Unit (SIU) at police headquarters in Banjul, testified that, “He said, in fact, the reason why he came was to join the GALA Movement and their demonstration.”
He gave this account while narrating how the accused was interviewed following his arrest at the airport.
According to the witness, on August 14th 2025, the accused appeared on Coffee Time, a radio programme hosted by journalist Peter Gomez, where he made several remarks deemed controversial. Gibba said Gomez informed investigators that Sanyang had voluntarily contacted him for the interview.
“During the interview, the accused made utterances, among them accusing the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, of electoral malpractice, and calling the court clandestine for failing to conclude the hearing of the PIU shooting incident that occurred at the Sukuta–Jabang traffic light two years ago,” Officer Gibba testified.
He continued, “He said he participated in the burning of the APRC bureau. He also alleged that he bribed the Junglers to spare President Barrow’s life in a planned assassination attempt before the 2016 election. He further stated that he contributed financially to the Three Years Jotna protest. Based on these utterances, a directive was given for his arrest.”
Explaining how the case reached the police, Officer Gibba said the video of the interview circulated widely online after it was broadcast. “That was how it came to the knowledge of the police, and an analysis of the video was done in our office,” he said.
He added that following this, “The Commissioner gave a directive to the airport command for the accused to be arrested. After the Criminal Intelligence Unit completed its analysis, the suspect was arrested and brought to the SIU for investigation. A panel was constituted, headed by our Commissioner Jawara, and I was part of that investigation panel.”
Gibba told the court that after the interview with Sanyang, both cautionary and voluntary statements were obtained from him. The accused was detained at the Banjul Police Station before being transferred to Mile Two Central Prison.
By: Mama A. Touray Police officer Ousman Gibba, the fifth prosecution witness in the alleged arson trial of former soldier Abdoulie Sanyang, has told the court that Sanyang admitted coming to The Gambia specifically to join a demonstration organised by the GALA Movement. Sanyang, a former soldier arrested at the Banjul International Airport, is facing The Fatu Network
