By: Cecilia E.L. Mendy
The High Court presided over by Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh Thursday heard testimony from the prosecution’s first two witnesses in the murder trial of Mamadou Bah.
Bah stands accused of fatally stabbing Yunusa Mbaye following an altercation in Fajara.
When the case was called, State Counsel M. Jammeh appeared for the prosecution, while Barrister M. Barrow represented the accused.
The matter was first set for plea-taking. The charge was read to the accused, who pleaded not guilty.
According to the indictment, Mamadou Bah is charged with murder contrary to Section 155 and punishable under Section 156 of the Criminal Offences Act 2025.
The particulars of offence allege that on or about June 15, 2026, at Fajara in the Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region, Mamadou Bah, with malice aforethought, caused the death of Yunusa Mbaye by stabbing him in the neck with a broken bottle.
The prosecution’s first witness, Baba Dinding Ceesay, a security guard, told the court that he knew both the accused and the deceased.
He recalled the events of June 15, stating that he had been sitting under a tree with Cherno Mbegga and Amadou when Yunusa Mbaye arrived. He said he later moved away to answer a phone call and was about 20 to 30 metres from where the group was seated.
While on the call, he heard a commotion and heard Yunusa Mbaye said, “You want me to reduce the volume of the radio. I have done that.”
Ceesay identified the accused in the dock and testified that he then heard Mamadou Bah respond with an insult before saying Yunusa would reduce the volume “by force.”
According to the witness, he looked towards the scene and saw the accused pick up a bottle and move towards the deceased. He said Yunusa also stood up and picked up a stone.
Ceesay testified that by the time he reached them, the accused had already stabbed Yunusa Mbaye on the left side of his neck and Yunusa had thrown a stone at him.
He told the court that he intervened and pushed the accused away while Yunusa held his neck. He added that the accused attempted to advance towards Yunusa again, but other people arrived at the scene and the accused fled.
The witness said he assisted Yunusa, who was bleeding heavily, by folding the victim’s shirt and placing it over the wound.
“It was a serious wound,” he told the court, adding that the bottle had penetrated deeply into Yunusa’s neck.
He further testified that efforts were made to transport Yunusa to Ndemban Clinic. However, he later received a call informing him that Yunusa Mbaye had died.
Ceesay said he subsequently accompanied police officers to the scene and later gave a statement at the police station.
During cross-examination, the witness acknowledged that he had known Yunusa Mbaye for many years and maintained a cordial relationship with him.
He admitted that he was about 30 metres away and on a phone call when the altercation began. Defence counsel suggested that because of his distance from the scene, he could not know who initiated the confrontation.
In response, Ceesay maintained that he saw the accused pick up a bottle, run towards Yunusa and stab him before Yunusa threw a stone.
Defence counsel further put it to him that Yunusa had attacked first, but the witness rejected the suggestion, insisting that the accused initiated the violence by stabbing the deceased.
The witness also admitted that he was not present when the verbal exchange between the two men first started. He was subsequently discharged.
The prosecution then called its second witness, Cherno Mbegga, also a security guard residing in Fajara.
Mbegga testified that he knew the accused and recalled the incident clearly.
According to him, he was seated with Yunusa Mbaye when the accused approached and asked Yunusa to reduce the volume of a radio. He said Yunusa complied and remarked that he did not want any trouble.
The witness testified that he later became drowsy, believing the matter had ended. He said he subsequently woke up and saw the accused holding a bottle.
“I told him, ‘Are you mad? You want to kill someone,’” Mbegga told the court.
He testified that he wanted to restrain the accused so that Yunusa could be taken to hospital. He further stated that one Demba Ndaw struck the accused with a chair after he refused to calm down.
According to the witness, the accused fell, got up, collected his mobile phone and cigarettes, and fled the scene.
Mbegga said he then saw Yunusa Mbaye holding his neck. He attempted to find a taxi but was unsuccessful. By then, he said, efforts were already underway to take Yunusa for medical treatment.
During cross-examination, Mbegga acknowledged that he had given a statement to the police and said he would recognise it if shown to him.
Defence counsel requested the original statement, which was subsequently admitted into evidence as Defence Exhibit 1.
The witness also told the court that when he gave his statement to police, his recollection of the events was fresher.
Following his testimony, PW2 was discharged.
The case was adjourned to July 16, 2026.