A close relative of prominent Gambian Islamic cleric Ba-Kawsu Fofana has elucidated that the cleric was never arrested in Guinea Bissau contrary to a viral audio recording and social media reports.
The reports say the Bissau authorities had reportedly arrested Imam Fofana in a Guinea Bissau village for his alleged involvement in unauthorized tree felling and following the reported discovery by forestry officers of a huge quantity of timber logs linked to him.
However, a relative of Ba-Kawsu’s has described this version of the development as egregiously inaccurate.
“This version of the story is blatantly false,” she dismissed. “What has actually transpired is that when Ba-Kawsu arrived in Guinea Bissau, he alongside some elders, went to the governor’s office to seek permission to use the trees on the land allocated to him so that he could make furniture and bed as well as fence the land area. And he was given the go-ahead. The trees that he felled on the land were not even more than two or three. And he brought in a woodcutter. When the woodcutter finished his work, when some people saw him, they ran to the police[station]to lodge a report.”
According to her, the police had already arrived even before the logs reached Ba-Kawsu’s home.
“The police confiscated the woodcutter’s chainsaw and took him to the police[station]. Ba-Kawsu never stepped foot at the police [station],” she further explained.
The lady went on to explain that when the chainsaw operator was picked up by the police and taken to the station, the elders of the village mobilized and went there to clarify.
“On arrival, they informed the police that they had earlier gone to the governor’s office with Ba-Kawsu and it was the governor himself, who gave the Imam the approval to cut the trees for logs. Consequently, Ba-Kawsu’s boy was released,” the lady stated.
