By: Nicholas Bass
A senior police investigator has testified before the Banjul High Court that the suspects in the armed robbery of United Vegetable Oil Company allegedly shared the proceeds of the theft and used part of the stolen funds to illegally purchase pistols in preparation for future criminal operations.
Deputy Superintendent Lamin Saidykhan, the fifth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, gave his testimony on Monday before Justice Omar Cham. Saidykhan is attached to the Serious Crime Unit at police headquarters in Banjul.
The accused Abdoulie Jallow, Ansumana Jarju, and Losseni Diabate are charged with conspiracy and armed robbery in connection with the theft of D400,000 on 31 December 2024 from the company’s premises in the Saro area, near Denton Bridge. The stolen amount was reportedly in the custody of a company security guard Sadivi Hauya at the time.
According to the witness, after the robbery, the suspects allegedly used a portion of the stolen money to purchase firearms outside the country, which they later smuggled into The Gambia. Superintendent Saidykhan, however, told the court that he could not confirm the exact location where the weapons were acquired.
Under cross-examination by Counsel E. Sanneh, representing the third accused, Diabate, who is an Ivorian national, Saidykhan disclosed that the Joint Investigation Unit recovered over D200,000 from the wife of the second accused, Jarju, and an additional D30,000 directly from Jarju. He clarified that these funds were recovered during a separate investigation and were not part of the money stolen from United Vegetable Oil Company.
The witness also testified that over D1 million in both Gambian dalasi and CFA currency was reported missing following the United Vegetable Oil Company robbery. However, none of that money was recovered during the investigation into this specific incident.
Court proceedings briefly escalated into tension when State Prosecutor M.D. Mballow objected to a line of questioning by defense counsel Sanneh, who sought the name of the alleged arms dealer. Prosecutor Mballow argued that the question was irrelevant to the matter before the court. Sanneh disagreed, claiming the objection lacked merit.
Justice Cham intervened and instructed Mballow to sit down. When the order was not immediately obeyed, defense counsel Samuel Ade, appearing for the second accused, Jarju, sharply reminded Mballow, saying, “This is a court of order.” Justice Cham supported the statement, warning, “If I tell you to sit down, you should sit down.”
Later in the proceedings, defense counsel U.A. Uga, also representing Jarju, questioned whether investigators had obtained a staff list from United Vegetable Oil Company during their investigation. Saidykhan admitted no such document had been reviewed but maintained that Jarju was known to him as a staff member of the company. Counsel Uga countered this, asserting, “I put it to you that neither the first, second, nor third accused are employees of United Vegetable Oil Company.”
The matter was adjourned and will continue following the court’s recess.
