The High Court in Banjul has acquitted and discharged Ousainou Bojang and his sister Amie Bojang of all charges over the 2023 Sukuta–Jabang traffic lights shooting that left two police officers dead.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, raising serious concerns about the reliability of key evidence presented during the trial.

Central to the ruling were statements allegedly made by Ousainou Bojang, which the accused denied. Justice Jaiteh noted that under the Anti-Terrorism Act, any extra-judicial confession must be supported by a video recording.

He found that the prosecution’s failure to meet this requirement undermined the credibility of the statements, rendering them unreliable.

The court also upheld the defence’s alibi, which placed Ousainou Bojang at his workplace in Brufut at the time of the incident. The judge stated that testimony from the accused and defence witnesses remained unchallenged.

“The accused cannot be in two places at the same time,” Justice Jaiteh said, concluding that the prosecution had not effectively rebutted the alibi.

He further criticised the investigation, describing it as “incomplete, unbalanced, and unverified,” saying authorities failed in their duty to properly investigate the defence’s claims.

Following the ruling, Counsel Lamin J. Darboe applied for bail for Ousainou Bojang while the state indicated it would appeal the decision. Justice Jaiteh is expected to make a ruling on the bail application in the coming days.

The case stems from a shooting at the Sukuta–Jabang traffic lights in 2023, which left two police officers dead and a third, a female officer, seriously injured. The incident prompted a major police investigation.
Ousainou and Amie Bojang were arrested and charged in connection with the shooting.

Both consistently denied involvement throughout the trial, which attracted widespread national attention and tight security during court proceedings.

The court’s verdict brings the trial to a close, with Justice Jaiteh ruling that the prosecution’s evidence did not meet the legal threshold required for conviction.

By Adama Makasuba