Rapper Killa Ace whose real name is Ali Cham and 36 other youths, who are alleged to have taken part in the July 24 protest, are to appear in the Kanifing Magistrate Court on Tuesday September 3.

The rapper and the 36 others including 2 Senegalese, 3 Sierra Leonean, and 3 nationals of Guinea Conakry have been in remand since last week at the State central prison, Mile Two.

They are facing eight counts of charges including conspiracy to commit a felony, unlawful assembly, breach of peace, arson of Assistant Commissioner Gorgi Mboob’s compound, arson of Bakoteh Police Station, riotous demolition of a fence of Anti Crime Unit Headquarters and motor vehicle number plate GPF 246 WCR.

However, speaking at a press conference on Monday held at Tango, Killa Ace’s lawyer Patrick Gomez said despite the charges levelled against his client and others some capital offences that they “made an objection equally on grounds that it should not be transferred but rather those counts that the court doesn’t have the jurisdiction on should be struck out.”

The press conference was organized by a movement called Team Gom Sa Bopa (believe in yourself).

Mr Gomez added: “We have argued number one that it was an abuse of process that they knew well that the court doesn’t have the jurisdiction and still they preferred those charges before the magistrate court and then with the sole intention of punishing the individuals which led to our second argument that the counts were being brought before the magistrate court in bad faith.”

He said there shouldn’t be persecution and that the state is mandated to prosecute anybody that has been suspected of committing any crime, saying “in our argument bad faith clearly implies that they have brought the charge sheets in bad faith it amounts to persecution and not prosecution.”

He said they (Gom Sa Bopa) would have expected the State to have done their investigations and that they expected “the investigation would not be prejudice in the sense they would just not target someone by virtue of the fact you have been very outspoken, you have been very critical of the government”.

Last month rioting was caused by the death of a Serekunda market vendor, Ousman Darboe, after an alleged incident involving the police.

Darboe, a Sierra Leone national, was reported to have died in police custody after being allegedly tortured. However the police had strenuously denied that he died in their custody.

That incident sparked a rioting in the Greater Banjul Area last month leading to the destruction of properties including arson attacks on the Bakoteh Police Station and the house of the head of the Police Anti-Crime Unit.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba