By Cecilia E.L. Mendy
A contractor on Wednesday told the High Court in Banjul that he grabbed the barrel of a gun after shots were allegedly fired during a confrontation between two local communities in Gunjur and Berending.
It could be recalled that the long-running Gunjur–Berending land dispute resulted in one death and multiple injuries.
Ebrima Colley was testifying before Justice Omar Cham in the on-going murder trial of Bubacarr Drammeh, who was accused of killing Buba Jammeh and attempting to murder two others during the March 16, 2019 incident.
The prosecution is led by State Counsel M.D. Mballow, while L.S. Camara represents the accused.
According to the charges, Drammeh allegedly shot and killed Jammeh in a forest area between Gunjur and Berending. He also faces two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Ebrima Darboe and Colley.
Testifying before the court, Colley said he had gone to the disputed land with a bulldozer to carry out clearing work and claimed he was unaware of any on-going conflict at the time.
He told the court that upon arrival they initially encountered no one but later saw individuals clearing grass with cutlasses. After working for about 300 metres, he said more than ten people emerged from the Berending side.
Colley alleged that the accused later appeared and fired a gun in the direction of the bulldozer.
“I held the barrel of the gun and asked him why he was behaving like that,” he testified.
He further told the court that another individual standing behind him held a knife and warned him to leave, saying the dispute did not concern him.
During cross-examination, defence counsel questioned whether Colley personally knew the accused. He responded that he knew him through his father, who had earlier introduced Drammeh as someone working at the Area Council.
The defence suggested that Colley did not see the accused at the scene, an assertion he rejected.
Colley said he gave a statement to police less than a month after the incident and maintained that the events remain clear in his memory. He also told the court he was traumatised and unable to return to work following the shooting.
Justice Cham adjourned the case to 19 March 2026 for continuation of the trial.
