By Aisha Tamba
The Station Officer at the Bakau police station deputy superintendent Foday Conta, yesterday told the Kanifing magistrates court that over D70, 000 was stolen from the police station exhibit-safe during the attack on the station by a mob demanding to deal with a murder suspect.
The court, presided over by Principal Magistrate Omar Jabang, is currently trying 34 youths who allegedly took part in a riot demanding police handover a suspect in the murder of a local taxi driver in December last year.
Conta narrated that on December 1st, 2022 between 1300 to 1400 hours , he heard some big noise outside the police station and saw stones being thrown through his office window.
“So, to save my life, I quickly rushed out of the office picked my telephone and entered the station’s toilet leaving my vehicle and office keys on the table,” SO Conta said. He added that the entire police station was vandalised including office gadgets, windows, television sets, and computers.
He said at that point he called Commissioner Omar Darboe, the regional police commissioner of KM to send re-enforcement from the PIU, adding that he also called Lt Abdoulie Manneh, the commanding officer of neighbouring Fajara Barracks to help protect the police station.
“The situation was tense with the crowd calling for the police station to be burn down. Files were scattered and the exhibit store was also broken and the safe opened with a key and some exhibit monies, D50, 000 and D23, 000 kept separately in the safe were stolen,” the witness said.
SO Conta went on to say that the angry mobs were demanding for the suspect, Mohammed Thomas, to be handed over to them to be killed.
He added that at the time, the suspect was transferred to the Kairaba Police Station.
The trial continues.
