Mr Zouharr Albarka, the complainant in the ongoing robbery and assault trial involving one Alieu Bah, yesterday, testified before Magistrate EF M’Bai of the Brikama Magistrates court. In his testimony, Mr Albarka identified himself as the complainant adding that on October 15, while he was at his working place in Yundum at around 4 pm, he went to his house to relax and met the accused in his house with a stick and a cutlass in his hand.

“When I asked him what he was doing in my house, he said I should keep quiet,” he explained. Mr Albarka further told the court that the accused then requested money from him and he gave him all the money he had in his pocket. He stated that Bah then forced him to open a container that was in his house. “I told him that the owner of the container has gone to Ghana and that I don’t keep the key of the container,” Mr Albarka noted.

Mr Albarka then told the court that the accused took his mobile. He said he begged the accused to leave the mobile with him and he would give him some money.

“Mr Bah then surprisingly showed me D6,000 that he took from the pocket of my jacket that was hung in my house,” he told the court. Mr Albarka said that the accused refused to give him both his mobile and the D6,000 stating that he took everything easy with Mr Bah in the way of providing food and drink for him just to make him calm.

“He then took my suit, shoes and tie and put on them,” Mr Albarka continued.

Mr Albarka told the court that it was  around 7:30 pm, when one Alieu Colley came to charge his battery and met the accused standing at the door holding the cutlass and the stick in his hands. He told the court that when Alieu Colley asked him where the accused person was from, he told him that he had just met him in his house and Mr Colley left.

He further told the court that when Mr Colley left, one Modou Sanyang (who was said to have been assaulted by the accused) came in and also asked what the accused was doing and that he gave him the same answer. He explained that when Mr Sanyang also left, the accused shut the door when a huge crowd of people came and stood at the door. He said he then ordered them to break the padlock since the accused had seized everything from him including his key.

When the padlock was broken and the people entered the house, he went on, the accused disappeared and whole the house was searched to no avail. Mr Albarka said that after some time, the accused came out with his (the complainant’s) gun threatening the people who were present at the scene.

Mr Albarka told the court that the police were contacted and then the army, who later arrested him and took him to Yundum barracks. He said that Mr Bah was then taken to Yundum Police Station, where, he, Mr Albarka, gave his statement.

After Mr Albarka’s testimony the accused admitted that he had entered the house but said he did not threaten or rob him. He also admitted taking the D6,000 but said he left it in the complainant’s house.

Magistrate M’Bai then adjourned the case for continuation.

Police Prosecutor Corporal 413 Sanyang represented the IGP.