CCF Global President Visits Gambia!!! On
The CCF President spoke on various issues, while at Kuluro during answer and question sessions by members of the communities and children development Association.She said the purpose of her visit is to learn about CCF Programs in the Gambia,challenges,opportunities and meeting CCF Staff and Gambian cummunities.
She further said that she also visited the
The trial of Musa Suso, former National Assembly Member for Kombo North, was on Wednesday deferred until 20th August 2008. The case, which was scheduled for a ruling on the defence counsel's application for the prosecution to provide the defence with all the information they needed to carry on their defence, could not proceed as the Presiding Magistrate, Kayode, was due to proceed on leave, necessitating the transfer of the case.
Musa Suso is standing trial at Banjul Magistrates Court on four counts of giving false information to a public officer, contrary to section 114(a) of the criminal code, cap. 10 volume III, Laws of the
It is being alleged that the accused, Musa Suso, in 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul, gave false information to the then IGP, Benedict Jammeh, and the then Crime Management Co-ordinator, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had received an unspecified amount of fuel from one Ebou Khan (Musa's friend) while Musa was incarcerated at Mile II, knowing it to be false or believed it to be untrue at the time.
It is also alleged that Musa Suso in the year 2007 at the police headquarters falsely informed the then IGP and the then Crime Management Co-ordinator, Burama Dibba, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had diverted a satellite dish bought by Ndey Conteh for the inmates of Mile II to his personal use, which he knew to be false or believed it to be untrue at the time.
Furthermore Musa Suso is accused of having in the year 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul falsely informed the then IGP, Benedict Jammeh, and the then CMC, Burama Dibba, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had fed the carcass of a bull to inmates at Mile II Prisons and that it led to the death of several inmates, which he knew to be false or believed to be untrue at the time.
The offence further stated that in the year 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul the accused, Musa Suso, falsely informed the then IGP and the then CMC that David Colley made his (Musa's) friend, Sedia Jatta, to paint a prison truck through his influence while he (Musa) was incarcerated at Mile II, which he knew to be false or did not believe it to be true at the time.
The Banjul Magistrates Court, presided over by Senior Magistrate Kayode, yesterday convicted and sentenced ex-Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang to one year one month imprisonment.
Mr. Sanyang has been standing trial on charges of abuse of office and stealing. It was alleged that the convict, Manlafi Sanyang, while employed in the public service of the Gambia as Government Vehicles Controller in abuse of his office sold a motor vehicle registered BJL 4591A, being government property, without authorisation and also stole the sum of D75,000.00, being the proceeds from the sale of the said vehicle BJL 4591A.
In delivering his judgement Senior Magistrate Kayode said that the accused was before the court on charges of abuse of office and stealing. He added that in furtherance of their case the state prosecution called in four witnesses, while the defence called three witnesses. He noted that the charge before the court made reference to the above-mentioned vehicle.
Magistrate Kayode further stated that the case having come that far, it needed to be considered whether or not the prosecution had proven the guilt of the accused. He said that on the issue of the sale of a vehicle it was settled and agreed even by the convict that he had sold a vehicle to Alhagie Conteh and also collected the sum of D75,000, noting that all material time leading to the case, the convict was the Controller of Government Vehicles at State House. He added that the convict in his statement asked Abdoulie Kujabi to seek clearance from the President, pointing out that the convict contradicted himself when he said in his evidence that he did not seek clearance from anybody to sell the vehicle BJL 4591B because it is not a government vehicle. He said that in respect of the transfer of vehicle BJL 4591, the convict did not request for the transfer in his capacity as Manlafi Sanyang, but in his official capacity as Controller of Government Vehicles, adding that the address of the convict indicated on the transfer is Youth Wing State House. "In the particular circumstance of the present case," he added "there are unequivocal facts which point to the fact that the convict in fact compromised his office as Controller of Government vehicles. I conclude that the convict abused his office when he sold BJL 4591B which is the same as BJL 4591A without authorisation," he stated.
On the offence of stealing, Magistrate Kayode stated that the convict admitted selling the vehicle BJL 4591B and also collected the sum of D75,000.00, which he handed to Abdoulie Kujabi. He noted that there exists an evidential burden of proof on the convict to show that the vehicle sold belonged to Youth Development Enterprise, but that surprisingly the convict failed to discharge this evidential burden. He also said that there is no proof to show that the vehicle sold belonged to Abdoulie Kujabi, either as the general or special owner thereof. He said the fact that the convict said he handed over the proceeds to Abdoulie Kujabi is not a defence, adding that the proceeds of the sale of BJL 4591 was handed over to and received by the convict and that the said money also disappeared through the convict. He said an accused could be found guilty based on his own admission.
Latest reports to the Gambiaaffairs intimate that the services of Mr. Benedict Jammeh, Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), have been terminated with effect from yesterday,
Mr Jammeh served as Inspector-General of Police, from where he was re-deployed to the judiciary as a Senior Magistrate only for a week before he was appointed Director General of NIA some two months ago.
The spate of murders and rapes in the country has led the public to call on President Yahya Jammeh to set an example with at least one of the culprits so as to deter others.
Well, what exactly is responsible for such inhuman acts and the way forward was the question our reporter put on to the general public in this opinion poll carried out yesterday.
According to one Abubacarr Camara, a veteran scholar in Tabokoto, the situation that the country is currently facing is foreign and the only solution to it is for Gambians and Africans in general to take ownership of what belongs to them and leave the rest with its rightful owners.
"Our behaviour in this present generation does not match in any form with those of our ancestors. So we are taking ownership of lives that do not belong to us and such lives will only mislead us," he said.
For one Musukuta Badjie, the increasing rate of rape cases in this country is an embarrassment to the state and unless the government takes urgent action, the situation will be on the increase.
"Every now and then you hear about rape cases and in many circumstances it involves very young girls of even five years. I think there is a problem and the only solution is for the law to take its full course," she fumed.
"I believe such inhuman and unwarranted acts will soon be a thing of the past if the recent strong words of President Jammeh about rape and murder in this country are anything to go by. The President was recently quoted as saying that he will set an example of those engaged in such acts and this is no doubt a welcome move because it would not have come at a better time than now," said one Alhagie Marong of Old Jeshwang.
In the view of one Isatou Jasseh of Kanifing Estate, unless and until government takes stern action, the situation will be discussed over and over at roof tops but nothing will come out of it. "Government should be seen doing something regarding this issue. Culprits should not be left to go free like that. If you murder somebody, you should be murdered and if you rape, you should be sent to jail. This is as simple as that," she said.
According to a resident of Bakau who wants to remain anonymous, a lot of sensitisation needs to be done to sensitise our youth, who in his view engage in such acts, as to the dangers of murder and rape. "We should also as elders in society learn to discipline our children. Lack of discipline is also a major cause of such terrible incidents. I think if every parent takes the initial responsibility to discipline his or her child at home, then we will not today be talking about these matters.
"Government is doing all it can to create job opportunities for our youth and it is now left to them to make best use of those opportunities rather than involve in criminal activities," he asserted.
"Hardly a week or two goes by without reading or hearing about rape or murder cases in this small country. But what is the problem? This I believe each and every Gambian has to ask himself or herself. Gone are the days when young people will listen to the advice of their parents and this is one of the many reasons responsible for these criminal and barbaric acts. We have to look at ourselves very well before blaming anybody for such acts," said one Omar Saidykhan of Dippa Kunda.
The search for greener pastures, which has been pursued as a matter of life and death by many a hope-starved Gambian youths, has in recent times been a source of worry, and all attempts to arrest the trend have come to nought as many continue to embark on the expedition.
Our Correspondent in Banjul was yesterday virtually overwhelmed when some aggrieved youths who claimed to have formed part of the latest batch of deportees stormed the The Gambiaaffairs News desk to vent their dissatisfaction. "I have been in Spain for the past five months but I have never done anything that is against the laws of that country. So the authorities' decision is that they have deported us, which was not exactly what they told us. We have not done anything wrong", said one of the affected youths.
Quizzed as to whether he entered Spain through the illegal way, he responded in the negative, arguing that despite entering through the "
Back Way
", one should consider the risk taken in the process. He noted that despite the so-called hardship involved in such journeys, he would never relent in his efforts to enter Europe.
African youths as the only solution, is, in the view of many, a land full of opportunities. This is however not the case in the minds of many who believe that Africa too has a lot of potential and one should therefore be industrious enough to make the most of the opportunities available.
One Omar Conteh, a native of Baddibu, North Bank Region, blamed their deportation on those he termed as some unscrupulous Gambians in Spain. "You have some Gambians in Spain who are definitely not patriotic citizens of this country. How can you see your fellow Gambian and you pretend that you never know him before and at the end you even report him to the authorities so that he or she could be deported?" he fumed.
"If anyone tells you that the situation in Europe is horrible, then he or she is telling you the wrong information. You earn far more in few hours in Europe than you earn here in a month in Africa, especially in The Gambia," said one Mustapha Jarju, adding that he would do all he could to get back to Spain.
Another angry youth said: "Enough is enough. Our governments cannot provide jobs for us and they should accept that they can't. The remuneration out there is better than it is here. So we have to go.
country day and night just to earn a living but it seems nothing coul
"We have been struggling in this d be achieved here. We've spent thousands of dalasis just to enter Spain or any other country in Europe. It is not our wish definitely but I believe we have to go."
This latest batch of deportees from the Kingdom of Spain comes on the heels of a few others in the recent past, involving mostly youths who embark on precarious, mostly sea, voyages to reach the European mainland.
It could be recalled that in July 2007, a total number of 75 Gambian youths were flown in to Banjul escorted by Spanish police officers. Each of these returnees according to reports, were given an envelope of 300 Euro.
However, the search for a solution has led to an agreement on co-operation in the area of immigration between the governments of The Gambia and Spain, whereby the Spanish government has pledged to provide funds for the construction of skills centres with a view to creating some vocation for the youth, as a way of curbing illegal migration. It is however note worthy that the agreement is yet to be implemented.
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According to the young military officers who formed the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council(AFPRC)their intervention was triggered by the rampant and endemic corruption that engulfed government of then President Dawda Jawara.
The military Junta also argued that the former government having ruled the country for almost three decades had not enhanced the socio-economic development of the citizenry.
Transparency, accountability and back to barrack was the first public slogan of the military government giving the impression that after a two year transition period the young military officers would return to the barracks and joined their colleagues.
During the transition period the military government had embarked on many developmental projects some of which later turned out to be white elephant projects.
Many schools as well as health facilities were built across the country. Farmers were promised that agriculture was going to receive a major boost. As a result back to the land also became another slogan of the then AFPRC.
Nevertheless, the first major incident that raised eyebrows over the AFPRC government was the alleged attempted coup of November 11th 1995.During this alleged attempted coup, a number of alleged coup plotters had disappeared with no trace of their whereabout.
Apparently,Bashiru Barrow who was accused of orchestrating and masterminding this alleged coup and some of his fellow military officers were reported to have been killed in a rather barbaric manner.Clearly,summary justice was implemented.
Later on,Sanna Sabally,the vice chairman of the military junta and Sadibou Hydara,the then interior minister were also arrested and sentenced to long prison terms for plotting to overthrow Yahya Jammeh,Chairman of the junta. Sadly before before the end of his prison term Sadibou Hydara died in prison.
As the transition period came to an end, some elders from all part of the country converged on State House to persuade the then military head of State Yayha Jammeh to contest the Presidency as a civilian.However,this move was seen by some observers as a pre-mediated move orchestrated by the military junta with a view to impose themselves on Gambia.
Not surprising before 1996 Presidential elections Jammeh took off his military uniform, disgiused as a civilian and contested for the presidency under the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction ticket.
In what turned out to be a closely contested election Jammeh won the 1996 poll and became the president of the second Republic.However,election observers have indicated that the 1996 election was marred by violence and intimidation deployed against opposition parties.
It is an disputable fact that since July 22nd 1994,many schools and even a university have been established.Nevertheless,most of those newly built school especially ones in the country side have often been hit by teacher shortage. Comparing the quality of education pre and post July 22nd 1994,one has to conclude that despite increase in the number of enrollment the quality is no where near pre July 22nd 1994.
The so-called University of the Gambia can not be regarded as people's university as most Gambian cannot afford to pay its tuition fees.
On health there is no doubt that health facilities have been built across the country.However, acute drug shortage still persists. Despite Jammeh's call for Gambians to go back to the land, the government has failed to properly address the situation of Gambian farmers.
How can people be attracted to farming when farmers continue to live at the mercy of poverty, as government over the years has failed to buy their groundnut or devised any mean of marketing farmers groundnut.
From July 22nd 1994 till date, a number of appalling and horrendous human rights violations have been committed. Political opponents of the regime have been detained for quite a period with no charge brought against them. One of such case was the protracted detention of Ousman Jatta alias Rambo, the councillor of Bakau ward. The Opposition United Democratic Party councillor was detained for over nine months apparently transferred from one police station to another across the country. This disappearance of the Bakau councillor left his family and friends in a despair, as they could not know where he was kept neither access him.
Furthermore, the sudden disappearance of former National Intelligence Agency director Dabba Marehna and four other alleged coup plotters provides another stark and striking reminder concerning the brutal and inhumane nature of Jammeh's government.
Ex-NIA-boss and four other were reported to have escaped while being transferred to Janjanbureh prison. Common sense tells one that how an handcuffed prisoners escaped while under the watchful eye of a heavily equipped prison guards.Clearly,the whole disappearance saga was a complete fabrication but lacks logic.
Since July 22nd 1994 to 21st March 2006 many alleged coup plots have been reported to have been quelled. Some personalities implicated in those alleged coups have been killed, while others continue to live behind bars.
The most serious indictment for Jammeh's government was the apparent murder of a serving minister Ouman Koro Ceesay who at the time of his death was the finance minister. His killing was bizarre and unforgivable and until now the cause of his death has not been explained.Shockingly,Mr Ceesay's burnt body was found in his burnt car.
On April 10th and 11th 2000,a number of eleven students were massacred by Gambian security officers. On those two fateful days unarmed Gambian students went on to the streets to protest against the death of their fellow student who died while under custody.
Moreover, to cover up its evil deeds the government of APRC passed an act indemnifying the perpetrators of those attrocities.While the relatives of murdered students continue to mourn the death of their innocent loved ones, the perpetrators continue to walk free in the streets of Banjul.
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..US Ambassador Barry Wells Witnesses Monday's Proceedings!!!
Banjul:8/04/08-The protracted sedition trial of journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh is expected to reach its climax as presiding Magistrate Buba Jawo is due to deliver judgment on the 18th August 2008.
The defence counsel Lamin Jobarteh on Monday 4th August 2008 replied on points of law and therefore adapted his file on the points of law.
Meanwhile, the United States Ambassador to the Gambia Mr. Barry Wells also witnessed the proceedings before Magistrate Buba Jawo for the first time.
It would be recalled the Fatou Jawo Manneh who has been engaged in a legal battle with the state for over a year was based in United States. It was upon her arrival at the Banjul International Airport when she was arrested.
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