Areas Stabbed Yunusa on His Neck: Eyewitness Recounts Fatal Attack on UTG Graduate Assistant

By Mama A. Touray

An eyewitness told the Banjul High Court on Wednesday that Mamadou Bah, known as “Areas”, stabbed University of The Gambia graduate assistant Yunusa Mbaye in the neck, the court heard before Justice Sidik K. Jobarteh.

Security officer Babadinding Ceesay, who said he stepped about 20–30 metres away to take a phone call, described the sequence of events. “I took a while on the phone. While on the phone, I heard a noise and heard Yunusa saying, ‘You want me to reduce the volume of the radio?’ and I did that, so what do you want?” he told the court.

Ceesay said the accused replied “chapa ndey” — “you have to reduce the volume by force.” He told the court: “He came to where we were seated; between the tree and the fence was where he picked the bottle. He ran, and I ran after him. Before reaching Yunusa, Yunusa showed him coming with the bottle, and he also picked a stone.”

Describing the attack, Ceesay said: “I arrived and found that he stabbed Yunusa on his left side with the bottle. Yunusa then threw the stone he had picked. I arrived and separated them; I pushed Areas to the other side, and Yunusa put his hand on his neck, calling my name.”

Ceesay said he tried to help Yunusa as the wound worsened. “I held his hand, picked him up and I realised that the wound was very serious. That was when I took his shirt, folded it and put it on the wound and he placed his hand there. I put my hand under his armpit and helped him and asked people to help me get a vehicle,” he said. He added that Yunusa was later taken to hospital but died.

A second prosecution witness, Cherno Mbenga, a watchman from Fajara, also identified the accused as “Areas” and said the dispute began when the accused asked Yunusa to turn down a radio. “I thought the problem was over and I was sleeping, then I felt particles of the bottle fall on me. When I woke up I saw the accused with a bottle,” he said. He told the court that bystanders intervened and that Demba Ndow helped get Yunusa into a taxi to hospital.

The accused was apprehended at the scene and remains in custody. The trial was adjourned to Thursday 16 July for the third prosecution witness to testify.