Teacher Gives Bullets To Coroner 
      
     
     Lamin A. Njie a Maths teacher at Brikama Upper Basic School in CRD has produced over a dozen of live bullets at the Coroner's Inquest at the High Court on Tuesday as he testified. He narrated how he saw soldiers armed with AK 47 Rifles came to the school on the 11th of April 2000. 

      He said he learnt that the security man came from Kudang Barracks and a reinforcement from Farafenni military post. He said  as he was with the Principal of the school, one Mr. Mendy in the school premises, he heard, a CID personnel saying: "Can we go over there," He said the principal told him that the soldiers came during the night of the 10th saying that there was student's riot in the Greater Banjul Area and they were suspicious that those in Brikama might do the same. 

      He stated that the security men arrested the Headboy, Amodou Sowe and his deputy Malick Jallow around 4.am on the 11th of April. 

      Mr. Badjie further stated that, the students, on getting the news of their leaders' arrest went to the police station in Brikama to demand their release. 

      A short while later, he said he heard a gun shots as he approached the direction and got the information that a student had been shot dead. He noted that there was another named Momodou .Y.Bah who was shot and wounded on the shoulders and he was bleeding. 

      As he moved on, he noted, he saw another group of soldiers chasing students and at a point, they opened fire on the students. Mr. Njie said he heard the late Ousman Sabally yell:" They shot at me." He said Ousman walked and later fell down. 

      Mr. Njie went on adding that the students in their numbers appeared and the soldier who did the shooting took to his heels and in the process dropped one of the magazines of his gun which contained live rounds. He said he asked one of the students to pick it up for him and he himself found two bullets, one used and the other unused later on. He said Ousman Sabally was rushed to hospital but died later. 

      Mr. Njie pointed out that the soldiers went on to assault and harass civilians including himself. He said at one point, one soldier drew a line calling it a border which must not be overstepped by any civilian. He added that the soldiers threatened to shoot at any civilian who dared to jump the line. 

      He further quoted one soldier saying:" I sign to kill" while he said the soldier was talking to some elders from the town. Also testifying was Assistant Superintendent of police who is also officer commanding the Central River Division, Mr. Adama Saine. According to him he received Ousman's death though a telephone call from Inspector Fatty officer of the Brikama Police Station. 

      According to Saine, Fatty informed him that as a result of a gun shot that Sabally sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Bansang Hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to him a form was filled for a postmorten to be carried on. 

      However according to him, the Chief Executive of the hospital was not happy with the way it was conducted and ordered the body to be exhumed for another postmortem to be carried out by one Dr. Sam. 

      Asked whether he saw any injuries on Ousman, Mr. Saine said he saw blood stains on his chest. He also emphasised that his men were not at all armed with any weapon and it was the soldiers who were on patrol. The father of Ousman Allourey Sabally in an emotional charged evidence said he could not bear to look at his son's injuries who had left for school only to be told by school children's that he had been shot. 

      According to him, his wife went to the school where he was teaching and told him that there was a student demonstration at Brikama and that he should go and find out Ousman's and his friends' whereabouts. In reply Sabally said I told my wife that I cannot go at that spot hence he was giving his pupils a class test. 

      In about four-five minutes later pupils of his village who are also attending the same school with Ousman came running home saying Ousman had been shot and was taken to the Bansang hospital. My wife Sabally continued to urge him to follow Ousman to the hospital, but refused saying he knew very well how his heart was and could not follow them at the hospital. 

      When, also asked whether he saw injuries on his son, Sabally in sombore mood said he could not bear looking at his son's injuries, but maintained that there was a pool of blood where Ousman was bath before his funeral and according to him some blood stains could still be visible there.
      
     
       
     
      

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