Gambia’s Inspector General of Police is reaching out to a group of angry youths who have stormed a local police station to demand answers about the death of a local shop owner.
Ousman Darboe, is reported to have died shortly after his release from detention at the Police Anti Crime Unit in Serrekunda.
The youths who are calling for the Police Anti Crime Unit to disbanded have blocked the major busy road linking the country’s biggest town to Bakoteh and Sukuta
Darboe was arrested on 12th July 2019 in connection with handling stolen goods. His family said he was held for nine days and tortured resulting in his death shortly after his release.
However, police have denied the allegations and have assured the public that it will continue a probe into his demise and the outcome will be duly communicated to ascertain the cause of death.
Superintendent David Kujabi, spokesman of the Gambian police said Darboe name came up during investigations into a burglary incident that occurred at Kerr Serign on 11th July 2019.
He said suspects in the said case confessed selling items stolen from the Kerr Serign incident to Darboe.
“Investigators visited his shop at Serrekunda market where a flat screen television, part of the stolen items was recovered in his possession,” Superintendent Kujabi explained.
“On The 12th July 2019, he was arrested and charged with receiving of stolen properties contrary to the laws of the Gambia. On Monday the 15th of July 2019, he was granted bail within 72hours as specified by law and was subsequently reporting on bail.
“Ousman Darboe during his detention was said to be an Asthma patient as shown by medical papers tendered by his family which prompted his bail.”
Meanwhile, at the time of filing this report, a contingent of combined security services including the army is deployed to diffuse the situation.
Eye Africa, a private online medium has reported that the residents of Gorgi Mboob, head of the Anti-Crime Unit has been set ablaze by the youths, who have set up road blocks and set fire to car tyres on the road leading to the serrekunda market and areas near the anti crime headquarters.
It added that several youths have been arrested by police who have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.
Call me an opportunist, if you like, but it is incidents like this that make me and many wary of mass demonstrations in The Gambia. Our national psyche isn’t right at the moment because our understanding of democracy and the use of democratic tools is WRONG!!!! The groundwork has to be done first, before we can employ this particular democratic pressure tool.
Death is regrettable and anytime allegations of Police brutality is suspected in the death of a person, the citizens must voice their total rejection of such Police behaviour and take actions when the authorities fail to act. But our actions must always be a proportionate response to the reaction/inaction of the authorities to whatever our concerns are, and street actions, as seen here, must ALWAYS be the last resort; not the very first one.
Moreover, if the story above is right, then there was no need for this burning and storming of the Police Station; certainly no need to set the residence of the Anti-Crime Unit’s boss ablaze. Totally unacceptable behaviour.
For Heaven’s sake, it is an investigation into a crime of burglary, which is becoming a national menace now, which led to the shop of a man where stolen items were found, thus making him complicit in the crime of burglary. Who knows how many burgled items were disposed of by this man. Burglars need an outlet and a market and it is such businessmen who provide it and therefore encourage the proliferation of this menace to the public.
He was arrested, as he should be, detained but released within the specified and legally mandated 72hrs of being arrested. Unfortunately, he died after release and if torture is alleged, then the first line of action should be a call for an independent and transparent investigation to establish cause of death, in order to verify or disprove allegations of torture. And if torture is found to have occurred, then those responsible should be held to account.
It is only when authorities have failed to act and repeated demands have been ignored that mass street actions can be justified. What has happened here is uncalled for, unjustified and those involved should be held to account and face the full force of the law. This ugly beast and lawlessness must be nipped in the bud, if we are going to have any chance of a peaceful transition into a new Gambia of rules, the rule of law and adherence to the rule of law.
May Allah (SWT) Shower the deceased with His Endless Bounties and Forgive him for his humanly imperfections. Aamin.
Ameen, ameen. May the departed soul be granted the highest place in paradise. May the family be granted abundant fortitude to bear and be.
_______________________
It is paramount to look at these two incidents in Brikama with critical analytic lenses by first of all asking the following questions:
1. Was the timing of the two demonstrations mere coincidence?
2. What do they have in common?
3. What triggered the two demonstrations?
4. Are the true motives for the demonstrations known?
5. Was there a failure of Intelligence to anticipate and take initiatives necessary to assure would be protesters that their rights to peaceful gathering and assembly would be respected in exchange for guarantees that no vandalism will be condoned?
6. Has the NSC been assessing the mood in the country and the sentiments of the general populace as December nears?
7. What is the game plan for all possible scenarios that could emerge?
Those without the ability to anticipate eventualities both good and bad, are not fit to lead. They must have that double set of eyes to see what those they lead cannot see. The “security “ apparatus of The Gambia is laden with corruption and is also a potent killing machine.
All that is happening because we are paying men and women in critical leadership positions who have never lived up to the expectations of the citizenry. Combine all the above, and still, it’s no reason to stifle a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest.
Yours in the service of The Gambia and Afrikka, I remain.
Bax,
Look, Barrow owns the Gambia Security forces, Barrow owns the ECOMIG forces, Barrow owns the Senegalese invading forces so Barrow is squarely responsible for all acts and behaviours of these forces.
When you listen to the exchanges of words between the demonstrators and the security forces, you become horrified at the language and tone of the security forces. Most worrisome is their perception that the demonstrators are anti-Barrow and as such they would ‘deal’ with them.
The people’s power will always be exercised when the laws are not executed rightly.
They know that nothing will come out of it if left in the hands of the police investigators.
Hand the country over to a well dignified person who will lay out a broad tangible youth programme to engage our youth in meaningful social and economic activities instead of sitting on the USELESS TRRC benches to listen to IDIOTIC deliberations.
I have listened to you Babu Soli and you haven’t sounded any differently from the same old Jammeh apologist. It’s the same old same.
Now, can I have your attention? I don’t make any excuses for Mr Barrow, but I would not let a Jammeh apologist get away with “murder.”
You are talking about jobless youths, as if Barrow had found them in work and kicked them all out. The “idle” youths, many of whom are still in their teens and early to mid twenties are the product of Jammeh’s woeful failure, and it is shameful that you would want to blame Barrow for this, and absolve Yaya Jammeh.
Yes, exercise of the people’s power is a necessary prerequisite for a viable and meaningful democracy, but the best way to exercise this power is at the polls; not by street vandalism and day light robbery through looting. Anyone who says this is ok has got questionable motives that are not in Gambia’s interest.
The Brikama Youths are setting the market on fire and destroying whatever little infrastructure there is because they are not happy with the management of the council’s resources and the under development of the area, but it will be interesting to know how many possess voters cards and actually bothered to vote last time.
After all, turnout for all elections, from presidential, National Assembly and Local Government in the 2016-2018 cycle was described by all observers as abysmally low. The first duty of a citizen in a republic is to partake in the political processes and the most important of these is the election of representatives. Anyone who fails in this basic duty should just sit down at home and accept to manage life in whatever squalid conditions they live in. Such people deserve nothing better than they get.