Christopher Badjie, an escaped prisoner with five different names, currently facing 22 charges for criminal offences at the Banjul Magistrates Court, has opened his defence in the voire dire (mini trial) instituted to determine the voluntariness of his cautionary statements obtained from the accused.

In his evidence before principal magistrate BY Camara, Christopher Badjie informed the court that he was arrested by personnel of the NIA on 27th February 2008, in Senegambia, from where he was whisked away to his Bijilo residence, before been taken to the NIA Headquarters.

At the NIA Headquarters, Mr Badjie said, a search was carried out on him before he was put in a cell. He said one of the NIA officers told him that lawyers were not allowed at the NIA and that no lawyer could help him. "I was detained in that particular cell for about five weeks. I was not granted bail from the day of my arrest on Febuary 27 up till March 4," he told the court.

Mr Badjie further informed the court that officials of the NIA made several attempts to obtain cautionary statements from him, but he had refused to comply throughout, before they settled to threatening to keep him incommunicado, "indefinitely".

He revealed that few days later, officials of the NIA informed him about the arrest of his wife and the subsequent heart attack she suffered, which resulted to her admission at the RVTH. He alleged he was refused details about her wife's health condition.

However, Mr Badjie identified the cautionary statement bearing his signature, which, according to him, was made without his consent. "It was obtained on the promise that I would be released from custody in order to see my wife who was said to have suffered a heart attack," he said.

Christopher Badjie then recalled on April 10, when he was arrested by personnel of the NIA, immediately after the court proceeding and whisked away to the NIA office, where he was told about an investigation of a new matter. "I was questioned about a landed property in Bijilo and a list of questionnaire was given to me, but I refused to answer them", he asserted.

Emmanuel Fagbenle, the director of Public Prosecution, subjected the accused to a marathon cross examination.

The principal magistrate, BY Camara, later adjourned the case to today, June 5, for continuation of the proceedings.