Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue

Issue No.64/2005, 16-18 August, 2005

Editorial



IS GAMBIA BECOMING A SLAUGHTER HOUSE

The frequent occurrence of unexplained deaths coupled with the silence of the state is a matter of concern for many Gambians. Lawyer Ousman Sillah sustained gunshot wounds which nearly took away his life, but nothing came out of it. Last December, Gambians witnessed the gruesome murder of Journalist Deyda Hydara. Rather than a report that focuses on the crime of murder against Deyda, the government published a report designed to tarnish the image of the victim.

Apart from these cases, Gambians continue to witness gruesome cases of unexplained murder. Eight bodies were found in the bush outside Brufut. They were later dumped in a mass grave after they were apparently abandoned at the mortuary of the RVTH. Even though rumours abound about the circumstances of their deaths and about more deaths the state continue to decline to say anything about these strange happenings.

The reported shooting incident at the Santamba embankment swells the number of gruesome murders. A pattern seems to be taking shape. Human beings are slaughtered like animals and thrown in the woods for the vultures to feast. Human life means nothing to such heartless murderers whose feelings have been frozen.

And President Jammeh does not seem to be moved. How can he and his regime remain silent in the face of such strange brutal murderous acts? Should we allow our society to continue along this obnoxious path? Has President Jammeh forgotten that he and his government are primarily responsible for the protection of the life of every person in the Gambia as required by section 18 of the constitution which reads: "No person shall be deprived of his/her life intentionally exceptionally, except in the execution of a sentence of death imposed by a court of competent jurisdiction….?"

Every life is important, be that of a Gambian or a foreigner. Every Gambian must be concerned about such brutish acts fit only for a society where the law of the jungle prevails. We should not allow it to hold root and all and sundry must call on the authorities to take positive action, including furnishing the public with information on the outcome of their investigation so far, such as the identities of the corpse, the circumstance leading to their murder, whether or not an autopsy had been conducted, etc, etc. Why the shroud of secrecy on this matter to the extent that the Ghanaian Foreign Minister had to meet the president to seek clarification?

Gambians must not forget that thousands of our citizens are abroad and we want their lives to be secure. We must strive to ensure that the president and his government perform their duty and come out with the truth.





WALLY MAHMOUD HAKIM APPEARS IN COURT TODAY

By Emil Touray

A police source has informed this paper that Wally Mahmoud Hakim who was arrested and detained by operatives of the National Intelligence agency shortly after the gruesome murder of Newspaper journalist; Deyda Hydara, will appear in court today on firearms related charges.

According to the statement of offence on count one of the indictment, the accused is charged with the possession of five arms without authority contrary to section 8 of the Arm and Ammunition Act Cap. 21-01, Volume 111 Laws of The Gambia 1990.

According to the particulars of the offence, Wally Mahmoud Hakim on or about the 17th day of February 2005 in Kerr Serign in the Western Division of the Republic of The Gambia had firearms in his custody without proper authority.

According to the statement of offence on count two of the indictment, Wally Mahmoud Hakim is charged with the importation of fire arms into The Gambia without an import license contrary to section 6 of the Arms and Ammunition Act cap. 21-01 volume 111 Laws of The Gambia 1990.

The particulars of the offence have it that the accused in the Western division of The Republic of The Gambia imported into The Gambia fire arms without an import license duly granted by the prescribed authority.

The statement of offence on count three of the indictment have it that the accused kept firearms in a place other than a public or private warehouse contrary to Section 8 of the Arms and Ammunition Act Cap. 21-01 volume 111 Law of The Gambia 1990.

The particular of the offence have it that Wally Mahmoud Hakim on or about the 17th day of February 2005 in Kerr Serign in The Western Division of The Republic of The Gambia without proper authority kept firearms in his private residence.

The said indictment is dated the 28th day of July 2005.

SOS JATTA WARNS POLITICIANS



By Yahya Dampha

The Secretary of State for the Interior, Retired Colonel Baboucarr Jatta, has taken the bull by the horn, by telling politicians that his institution will not tolerate any killing. SoS Jatta’s statement is in response to a derogatory statement made by Seedy Cham, the APRC Divisional Chairman, in the Lower River Division of the country’

In his recent tour of the country, Secretary of State Jatta held meetings at Pakaliba and Soma with APRC stalwarts and the Chief of the area.

During one of the meetings, sympathisers of the ruling APRC expressed their readiness to outclass the opposition in the forthcoming bye-elections.

However, the meeting was polluted by Seedy Cham, who unleashed disparaging statements which were directed at some businessmen, whom he described as the benefactor of the opposition. The divisional chairman brazenly stated that lives will be lost, but the Jarra seat will be won by the ruling APRC party in the forthcoming by-elections. He said some businessmen in the area must be killed because they sponsor opposition campaigns in elections.

However, the un-refined statements unleashed by the APRC bigwig, did not go down well with SoS Jatta, whose responsibility it is to maintain law and order. SoS Jatta told Mr. Cham that if the opposition is in a position to campaign in peaceful manner and without money, he sees no reason why he (Cham) should be thinking of killing anyone. SoS Jatta said killing will not be tolerated in any part of the country. He reminded the APRC stalwarts at the meeting that the ruling party and the opposition sympathisers are all citizens of the same area, and therefore they should nurture peace.

"I HEARD GUNSHOTS" SAYS VILLAGER

By Bubacarr K. Sowe

The Alkalo of Santamba Village in Foni Kansala, Nfamara Bojang and the shepherd who purportedly discovered the corpse that was found on the river bank of Santamba village have informed this paper that the said victim was murdered around 2pm on the 26th of July 2005 by people in an unidentified tinted glass vehicle.

Speaking to this reporter on Wednesday, the shepherd, Mustapha Bojang who was herding his cattle some kilometres away from the said village, informed this paper that he heard gunshots and the sound of a vehicle while he was in the bush. However, the shepherd was quick to say that he was unable to see the said vehicle due to the think bush that covered the scene of the calamity.

Mr. Bojang said he was at first oblivious of what was going on, but as he advanced to the scene of the incident, he saw a dead man lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"When I saw the corpse, he was lying in a pool of blood. He was bleeding profusely from the head and a nylon bag was wrapped over his head down to the neck," Bojang indicated.

Mustapha Bojang pointed out that he later rushed to the village and informed the Alkalo about the incident. Mr. Bojang said he was later questioned by Police Officers from Sibanor Police Station. He said the corpse was later evacuated from the scene and taken to Sulayman Junkung Jammeh Hospital in Bwiam.

On his part, the Alkalo of Santamba, Nfamara Bojang pointed out that they (the villagers) saw a greyish vehicle running at very high speed and heading to the river side at around 2pm that day. However, the old man could not describe the vehicle beyond that.

The Alkalo said that later some villagers informed the Police at Sibanor about what they saw. Nfamara Bojang further indicated that Police Officers from Sibanor Police Station who later arrived at the scene and evacuated the corpse to the Hospital.

Panic and confusion had descended in Santamba following the gruesome murder. Santamba lies about two kilometres off the main road around Bwiam.

GNIC SAVED FROM BANKRUPTCY



By Emil Touray

The former Managing Director of the Gambia National Insurance Company, William Coker, has informed the Kanifing Industrial Tribunal that he saved the aforesaid institution from bankruptcy prior to the termination of his services. The indignant former Managing Director, instituted legal action against his former company (GNIC) for what he described as that wrongful termination of his service.

The witness testifies that he never received any warning letter from the defendant (GNIC) through his employment with the aforesaid company.

The witness testified that his management skills and personal experience with clients had saved the Gambia National Insurance Company from bankruptcy.

"Just before my services were terminated, I negotiated a payment term with the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation which was approved. If seen through, it should have solved our problem of non payment of staff contribution which lasted for a longtime. A board meeting was called on the 11th of November 2004 on the instruction of the board chairman (Bai Matarr Drammeh). This was unprecedented, because board meetings were always called by the Managing Director. The chairman told me that he himself and myself are stumbling blocks to the deal negotiated with The Gambia Ports Authority. The deal was to get the Ports Authority to convert a debt we owed them into equity and this needed verbal agreement. He said he himself and myself should move aside", he testified.

At this stage lawyer Bola Carol applied to tender the minutes of the said meeting. The defendant’s lawyer, Hawa Sisay Sabally objected to the tendering of the minutes.

She said the minutes of the meeting are not authentic.

"This is a company and company documents are kept according to law. There is no evidence showing that there is a problem in getting the minutes. They can subpoena (a written order for someone to appear in court) for the minutes to be brought and we can facilitate it," she remarked.

In his response, Bola Carol submitted that the minutes are admissible. He cited section 31 and 32 of the Labour Act to support his position.

Magistrate Richard later overruled the objection made by Hawa Sisay Sabally. The documents were then admitted in evidence.

The witness said he was later asked to proceed on leave. He was quick to point out that his annual leave was due at the time. He said his leave was to last for a period of thirty working days. Testifying further, the witness said that towards the end of his leave he received another letter extending his leave for another sixty days. He said this development was abnormal, noting that Bai Matarr Drammeh has not budged an inch.

"Towards the end of the sixty days, I got a call from one of the board members, Batch Samba Faye inviting me to his office. I answered the call the same day. At that meeting, he told me that the board had decided I should quit the Gambia National Insurance Company. It came as a shock to me. I had no reason to believe that was in the offing. Mr. Faye said that the manner in which I should leave is the issue and that is why he called me. He gave three reasons on how this could happen, namely; I should either resign, retire or my services be terminated. I regained myself and asked him to give me two days to pray about the matter and I would get back to him. He gave me two days and I returned to tell him that "I am able to continue working for the GNIC till I am sixty." Having said that, I said before I leave, these are the things I needed. I was alone with Mr. Faye. The things I said was, I should be paid five hundred thousand dalasis, be allowed to use the official car as Managing
 Director, for them to continue paying my Social Security dues until I was aged fifty five, for the shares I own in the company be liquidated and paid against the loan I owed the company, and allowed to pay the outstanding loan as if I am still working for the company at the rate of 5%. Mr. Faye said he will take my proposal to them which he did and called me two days later. He told me that the board had rejected my proposal. Then he said to me that what they are prepared to do was to pay my Social Security contribution up to age fifty, and to convert my shares into cash and pay it against my loan, and to write off the balance of my loan, and pay my telephone bill until the day I was terminated that was 14th February, 2005. All these things happened before the sixty days. I was supposed to resume duties. I disagreed with their proposal and Batch Faye said he will take my position to the board" he remarked.

IDRISSA SECK DENIES DIVERSION OF PUBLIC MONIES

By Baboucarr Ceesay

Following the resolution by the Senegalese National on Wednesday 3rd August 2005 regarding the Thies road project overspending levelled against Idrissa Seck, the embattled former Senegalese Prime Minister has faced trial before the commission of instruction at the Senegalese High Court on Wednesday 10th August 2005. Idy has also been accused of threatening state security and stability. Mr. Salif Ba, the former Minister of Construction is also put within the framework of the investigation relating to the Thies case.

Mr. Seck is accused of opening bank accounts in the name of the state without announcing or making the existence of such accounts known; that this made the weight on him "strong with the presumption of diverting public monies," as indicated in the bill of indictment. It went further to stress that "the facts revealed by the investigations, constitute infringement of forgery, use of forgery, usurpation of title, concealment etc. "The irregularities made in comparison with the rules applicable to public accounts constitute the means of committing offences of diversion and subtraction of public monies and etc."

When the committal order was read, Idy vehemently denied the charge by saying "you can say everything except the diversion." Certain lawyers objected to the committal ordered against Seck.

Earlier before the hearing of the commission, the percentage of the parliamentarians who supported the motion for Idy to be tried were condemned by a renown constitutionalist and several others who term their decision as unconstitutional based on the fact the that they were short of the proper quorum to pass the said motion.

However, Mr. Salif Ba is put in charge by the deputies in the business. According to a source in Dakar, this court of justice has exceptional jurisdiction to charge and try the President of the Republic, Prime Minister and the ministers in the event of offence or of crime in performance of their duties.

IGP SPEAKS AGAINST CHILD EXPLOITATION

By Emil Touray

The Inspector General of Police, Ousman Sonko, has demonstrated his resolve to combat child exploitation and abuse by making a personal donation of two electric typewriters to vulnerable Person Persons Unit of The Gambia Police Force.

IGP Sonko who created a Vulnerable Persons Unit in all division in the country, on Thursday handed over two electric typewriters to the head of the aforesaid unit, supreintendent Burama Dibba, for onward delivery to the unit’s office in Mansakonko and Basse.

The IGP was quoted as saying that the main reason he posted police personnel in the rural area recently is to make sure that child exploitation is stamped out of the country. He was quoted as saying that the police will use the resources in its disposal to rid the country of this menace, whilst noting that the police will not compromise issues relating to child exploitation and abuse.

ARMED ROBBERS ESCAPED WITH OVER

D81, 000 IN JARRA

By Yaya Dampha

Armed robbery is becoming rampant in the country nowadays and in most such robberies reported, culprits have not been arrested. This has caused panic and restlessness in many of our communities.

Jarra which was known for its low crime rate is now experiencing a high crime rate and more serious ones like armed robbery and cattle rustling.

Last Wednesday, between the hours of 8-9pm, armed men made a road block between the villages of Buiba in Jarra Central and Karantaba in the Jarra West District. According to eye witnesses and the victims themselves, they were travelling from the Lumo at Bureng when their vehicle came to a halt at a road block by the armed men, who ordered the driver to park off the road. They said that these armed men started demanding money from the passengers and drivers at gunpoint after arresting others. They indicated that the men were armed with pistols and short guns. According to one Mauritanian businessman residing in Soma, the armed men took over D70,000 from him and a cell phone. Mr. Alieu Ceesay also surrendered D6,700; Ablie Jallow D630.00; Bakary Manneh D2,700.00 while many other passengers and drivers lost their monies and cell phones to the robbers.

When contacted the Divisional Police Commissioner, Ebrima Cham, confirmed the robbery and indicated that his men were dispatched to the scene; but that upon arrival, the armed robbers fled into the bushes, heading towards the Cassamance border. Commissioner Cham also told our reporter that the Police investigators believe that these robbers are bandits living within the area. According to him a similar attack was done in Sare Musa, a village about three kilo meters from Soma. He noted that this time, the robbers have targeted those coming from the weekly market (lumo). He also said that an MRC driver was also brought down from his vehicle and searched; that the driver’s money and cell phone were also taken.

After the arrival of the Police on the scene, the drivers, whose vehicles were seized also came back to take them.

The Police Commissioner called on the general public to be reporting unusual situations to the Police and that since they suspected that the robbers are within our midst, the public should try and give information to the police.

Many villagers living in Jarra now live in fear as this type of situation is becoming frequent. Many drivers and lumo traders fear that they might also fall victims to armed robbers.

MANSLAUGHTER CASE ADJOURNED

By Emil Touray

The manslaughter case involving the Inspector General of Police and one Mamudou Bah continued at the Kanifing Magistrate Court last week. Magistrate Sanyang on Thursday adjourned the case to the 29th of September for judgment.

The prosecutor Cherno Marenah did file and adopt the state’s written brief. The defence lawyer, Lamin Ceesay on Thursday replied to Marenah’s address on points of law.

The accused is charged with manslaughter contrary to section 186 of the criminal code.

According to the particulars of the offence, Mamudou Bah on the 5th day of July 2005 in the Kanifing municipality of the Republic of The Gambia, caused the death of one Ousman Sowe by unlawfully attacking and hitting him resulting in his falling and drowning in the sea.




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