Gambia: Farmers Denied Bail in Land Dispute Case Amid Fresh Charges
A group of men from the village of Nioro Jarrol in the West Coast Region have been remanded at the Mile Two Central Prison after Magistrate M.S. Dem of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court granted a prosecution request to deny them bail on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The farmers, accused of violating a district tribunal’s order by farming on disputed land, are now facing new charges under the Criminal Offences Act.
The defendants–Alhagie Jobe, Abdoulie Jobe, Anna Mbaye, Salifu Jobe, Muhammad Sowe, Biran Mbaye, Mam Njie, Modou Talla Jobe, and Abdoulie Sallah–were first arrested on Friday, July 11, 2025, in connection with their alleged defiance of a standing order from the Foni Jarrol District Tribunal Court. According to the prosecution, the order instructed all parties to refrain from accessing or cultivating land at the center of an ongoing dispute in the community.
When the case resumed on Thursday before Magistrate Dem, Prosecutor Inspector Fadera applied for an amendment of the charge sheet under Section 218 of the Criminal Offences Act 2025. The magistrate granted the application, and all accused persons entered pleas of not guilty.
The amended charges now divide the accused into two groups based on the dates of the alleged offenses. On Count 1, Alhagie Jobe, Abdoulie Jobe, and Balla Jobe are charged with Disobedience of Lawful Orders under Section 116 of the Criminal Code, Cap 01:01, Vol. III, Laws of The Gambia (Revised Edition 2009). The prosecution alleges that on or about April 29, 2024, the three men “deliberately disobeyed the order of the Foni Jarrol District Tribunal Court,” which had instructed all parties to maintain peace and avoid interfering with the land in question.
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On Count 2, Anna Mbaye, Salifu Jobe, Muhammad Sowe, Biran Mbaye, Mam Njie, Modou Talla Jobe, and Abdoulie Sallah face charges under Section 109 of the Criminal Offences Act 2025, also for disobedience of lawful orders. The prosecution claims that these individuals violated restraining orders issued by both the Foni Jarrol District Tribunal and the Brikama Magistrates’ Court on July 15 and 16, 2025, by accessing or interfering with the same contested property.
During the bail hearing, Prosecutor Fadera vigorously objected to any release of the accused on three grounds: the need to maintain peace and order in the community; the risk that the defendants would interfere with prosecution witnesses; and concerns that the accused might abscond from the jurisdiction.
Magistrate Dem accepted the prosecution’s arguments and ordered that all nine defendants remain in custody. “The court hereby grants the prosecution’s objection to bail,” the magistrate ruled, remanding the defendants until the next hearing date.
The case is expected to resume on Monday, July 21, 2025, for further proceedings.
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