Bail application withdrawn; accused traces military background and border security duties during Kanilai patrol period.
The Defence case in the trial of Sanna Manjang opened at the High Court in Banjul, with the accused taking the witness stand to testify to his military service, postings, and assignment to the Kanilai patrol team during the period in which the alleged assaults are said to have occurred.
When the case was called, Deputy DPP E.R. Dougan appeared for the State while Counsel S.K. Jobe appeared for the accused person.
Justice S.K. Jobarteh informed the Court that she was in receipt of a motion of notice application and an affidavit in opposition, and asked the Defence Counsel whether he had filed an affidavit in reply.
Counsel S.K. Jobe replied that he had received the affidavit in opposition late yesterday, around closing time, and did not have sufficient time to review it. He sought 15 minutes stand down to consult with his client. Justice S.K. Jobarteh granted the application for a stand down and adjourned for 15 minutes.
Upon resumption, Counsel Jobe stated that, having considered the affidavit in opposition served on him at the last moment, he did not have time to prepare a reply, which was a procedural requirement. With the Court about to proceed on vacation, he sought to withdraw the bail motion filed on July 22, 2026.
Deputy DPP Dougan didn’t object to the withdrawal, and Justice Jobarteh struck the motion from the Court’s record.
Counsel Jobe then informed the Court that he was ready to proceed with his client’s defence and called Sanna Manjang to the witness box.
Sanna Manjang testified that he is a resident of Brikama, married with eight children, and is a former soldier. He joined the Gambia Armed Forces in January 1994. After completing six months of training, he was posted at Fajara Barracks as a regimental police
After two years at Fajara, he was promoted to Lance Corporal while maintaining duties as regimental police. He was later promoted to Corporal in 2002.
In 2002, following his promotion to Corporal, he travelled to Libya to undertake commando training. He testified that the training lasted three months and was “hard and deadly,” and the instructors were from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Upon completion of the course, he said, he impressed his instructors and was retained to train other military personnel until the relationship between Gambia and Libya deteriorated and he was required to return.
Upon his return from Libya, Sanna Manjang testified that he was reporting to the State House for a short period and was subsequently transferred to Kanilai following a publication on the notice board at the military barracks to go to the Kanilai patrol team.
Upon reporting to Kanilai, Manjang said he was reported to Khalifa Bajika, who informed him his role would be to lead patrol operations and was assigned a vehicle to conduct patrols. He testified that at the time there was no formally designated patrol team in place; instead, he utilised personnel available on the ground.
Sanna Manjang testified that during the period of his assignment to Kanilai, the Casamance border region was unstable and posed security risks to Gambian civilians. His role, he stated, was to ensure that “Gambians could go about their business without any threats.”
He testified that patrol teams would be constituted with personnel from Banjul to Kanilai on monthly cycles, with each team conducting patrol operations for approximately one month before rotation. During the operations, he testified, he led the patrol team because “no one knows the border line more than him.”
On who assigned the team of soldiers from State House in Banjul to him for the operation, Sanna Manjang said at the time Ousman Badjie was the commander of State House. He testified that team selections were made by senior personnel, who would direct selected men to report to him for patrol duty.
Sanna Manjang testified that his assignment to the Kanilai patrol team ended on July 22, 2017. During his tenure, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and eventually to the rank of Lieutenant.
Sanna Manjang testified that during that time he made sure the lives of the Gambian people wer were protected to the extent that he made a flight to protect the citizenry.
He recalled a particular incident during his border patrol operations. He stated that on that occasion, seven Gambians were arrested by armed rebels operating in the border region. He was requested to conduct a rescue operation, with coordination arranged through Bora Colley.
Sanna Manjang testified that he prepared for the operation and proceeded to the area. Upon arrival, he found Gambian police officers from Kalaji around the border and inquired regarding the location of the arrested Gambians. The police officers provided directional information, and he positioned his men strategically and moved towards the rebels to rescue the Gambians.
Upon moving closer to the rebels holding the Gambians, Sanna Manjang testified that gunfire erupted. He returned fire and pursued the rebels as they fled, with the firefight lasting approximately 45 minutes. He testified that the rebels eventually lost control and abandoned the Gambian fugitives, and he located them and secured seven arrested Gambians, and none got injured except one who sustained an injury to the mouth but was otherwise unharmed.
Sanna Manjang testified that he escorted the rescued Gambians to Kalaji police station and handed them over to police along with their belongings. He asserted that records of the incident should be available at the Kalaji police station.
At that point, Counsel Jobe sought an adjournment to allow the Defence to continue its case. The Prosecution offered no objection. Justice Jobarteh adjourned the matter to October 8, 2026.
