A senior police investigator has told a court that First Class Officer Sulayman Jarju slapped and beat Omar Badjie with a stick during a patrol in Mandinary shortly before Badjie collapsed and later died.

Chief Superintendent Lamin Cham, head of the Police Investigation Unit at the Banjulinding Anti-Crime Headquarters, testified before the Brikama Magistrates’ Court that the incident occurred on 26 September 2025 during a routine patrol.

Cham said Badjie and several others were smoking cannabis when officers approached them.

“Upon seeing the police, they ran, and the officers chased them for about 300 meters. They caught Omar, and Sulayman Jarju slapped him once or twice and beat him with a stick,” Cham told the court.

He added that statements from other officers indicated Badjie fell into the grass and appeared exhausted.

“Omar told the officers he was too weak to stand, and Sulayman slapped him,” Cham said.

Badjie was later taken to the Mandinary Health Centre and then transferred to Kanifing General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators visited the scene and took photographs but were unable to recover the stick allegedly used.

“We were unable to trace the stick. However, we found an indication under a mango tree where a wet branch had been cut and used to beat the late Omar Badjie,” Cham said.

“A picture was taken by crime scene investigators, and the distance covered was 353 meters.”

Four officers involved in the patrol include Sulayman Jarju, Mamadi Jallow, Ebrima Touray, and Fa Sainey Cham. All four are currently in police custody pending investigation.

The case was adjourned to 13 October 2025 for the testimony of the second witness, Sub-Inspector Buba Touray, representing the Inspector General of Police.