Dear list members
I came across this disturbing report from the Daily Observer. where are we
going to??????????????????????????
NEVER CRINGE, CROUCH, OR CRAWL.
RAISE YOUR HEAD AND STAND TALL
incident involving Baba Jobe
Dismissed guard petitions President Jammeh
by Lamin Sagnia
Mr Lamin MF Gassama, the dismissed Gambia Civil Aviation Authority security
guard who was involved in a fracas with Baba Jobe, special adviser to the
president and national chairman of July 22nd Movement at the Banjul
International Airport in April, has petitioned President Jammeh for his
reinstatement.
According to the petition, on 26 April 1999, Mr Gassama received a telephone
call from Kebba IB Jatta on guard at gate No 3 at the airport reporting that
"Baba Jobe had forced his vehicle to knock open the gate, and with a pistol
in his hand threatening him."
In the petition, Mr Gassama said he asked whether Baba Jobe actually entered
the terminal grounds with the pistol and Mr Jatta replied, "Yes, knowing the
legal implications of carrying a weapon inside the terminal... I decided to
pass the information to my superior Mr Ebrima Kambi who was on duty with
me."
Mr Gassama continued that he then went to look for Mr Kambi, the deputy
chief security officer whom he found in Mr Gaye's office. "When I informed
him of what report I received, he instructed me, in Mr gaye's presence, to
go to the scene to find out what actually had happened." The petition
disclosed that Mr Gassama found Ebrima Kambi with some people including the
secretary of state for Foreign Affair, Dr ML Sedat Jobe, Mr Matarr Bojang,
NIA officer in charge of airport operations, Mrs Jainaba Johm, director at
the Attorney General's Chambers and two other white men sitting in the VIP
lounge.
According to Mr Gassama's petition, as he was giving Mr Kambi the
information he gathered, "Baba Jobe intruded my narration with an insult
saying I was telling a lie! (I made a) humble and respectable plea to him
not to insult me for I was simply doing my job." Mr Jobe, he alleged,
insulted him for the second time, and even then he (Gassama) kept his cool
and made a second appeal, this time addressing him (Jobe) as some one much
older than him, adding that he was simply doing his job.
The petition continued, "when he threw the third insult I then returned the
same insult to him and then he rushed on to me and during the struggle he
pulled out a pistol to gun me down. By a chance, people around grabbed him
and Mr kambi held his arm holding the pistol. He managed to struggle out of
the grip of the people and rushed on me and hit me on my head with the butt
of the gun, causing a concussion on my head."
According to the petition, soon afterwards, "the NIA came with a message
that H.E. (President Jammeh) said I should be detained and further directed
that our head, meaning head of GCCA, should dismiss us forthwith."
The petition also stated that afterwards both Mr Jatta, the gate guard and
mr Gassama were "arrested by the NIA officers under the instruction of Baba
Jobe who led the group." Mr Gassama added that they remained detained for
three days "under severe pain with no medical treatment and no proper place
to sleep with mosquitoes and hard weather conditions at the NIA office
lounge. This was very unfortunate. A day after we were released from
detention, both of us were served letters of dismissal," wrote Mr Gassama.
The petition concluded by calling on President Jammeh to "further satisfy
yourself as to the authority of my version through your available unbiased
means and put this matter under consideration for the reinstatement of my
colleague and I."
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