By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Ebrima Chongan Ex- Assistant Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force has told the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) that he was arrested, detained and manhandled by officials of the Military Junta of Yahya Jammeh in 1994.
He made these revelations during the opening of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) as first witness on Monday 7th January, 2019; at the Dunes Hotel and Resort in Banjul.
“On the 25th July, 1994 when I reported for work, I found soldiers guarding the police headquarters and after sometimes we were all asked to come out and queue in front of the headquarters where I and Pa Sallah Jagne, the then Inspector General of Police were arrested,” Chongan told the commission.
According to him, members of the military Junta led by one captain Sonko effected their arrest, adding that senior members of the police were arrested, bonded and dragged on pick-up vehicles before been sent to the Mile Two prison.
Recalling on the events leading to the 1994 military coup, the former Assistant Inspector General of Police said, the disbandment of the Gerdemiere and the subsequent control of the command of the Gambia National Army by Nigerian military assistant group led to serious dissatisfaction among both the army and Gerdemiere may have caused the reason for the coup.
“During this time, all the commanders were Nigerians; it was only the platum commanders who are Gambians and mostly Lieutenants. This caused serious dissatisfaction among many officers of the army paving the way for a successful coup in 1994,” Ebrima Chongan said in his testimony at the TRRC.
He said the Gerdemiere that was created to provide security to the president were annex to the police and only a small group of its military police unit was transferred to the army as a result of the intervention of the Nigerian military team, adding that once the Gerdemiere were banned all their arms and ammunitions were handed over to the army. He said this change of paragym gives the army the fire power to engage in a military coup.
Chongan told the commission that he was surprised to learnt later that Jammeh was the Chairman of the Military Council, describing him as someone who is very “rough, indiscipline and a plotter, who has planned on many occasions to topple the government.”
“Lack of moral in the army, poor remunerations, lack of adequate housing, low salaries and lack of motivation coupled with the influence of the Nigerian military assistance that were under military rule may have also influence the 1994 Coup,” the former Assistant Inspector General of Police informed the median sitting of the commission.
He told the commission that the recall of the leader of the Nigerian military contingent to The Gambia, General Daada back to Nigeria for General Lawal, after General Abacha took power, has also created fractions among the army, adding that General Daada did everything possible to influence Gambian authorities to prevail on Abacha to maintain him in Banjul.
“It was an open secret that everyone was talking about a possible coup, personally I was against coup but there were already rumors that they were planning a coup. If there was a security council at that time, I don’t think the 1994 coup would be possible,”Chongan argued.
Dilating on the efforts of the police to quash the 1994 coup, Chongan adduced that Press Jagne then Inspector General of Police gave the police the order to disarmed the army and possibly shot to death any mutineer soldier who failed to adhere to lawful order.
According to him, in the morning of July 22, 1994; he ordered by the deployment of his troops to various strategic locations in the police efforts to foil the coup, adding that he was at Denton Bridge with some of the police unit to intercept any attack from the army.
“I was very surprise to later learn that some of our own men joined the mutineering soldiers to affect the coup,” Chongan expresses his shock to seeing the police joining the coup.
According to him, many senior officers both in the police and the army were arrested and detained at Mile Two for forty five days before they were notify of the reasons behind their arrest, adducing that they were detained under Decree No.3 of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council.
He told the Commission that the Red Cross was very influential during detention, revealing that after the visit by officials of Red Cross they were provided with some toothpaste and blankets to use at the prison.
Chongan revealed the horrific situation they encountered during their detention, noting that the food ration was too bad for consumption as well as mosquitoes that continually subjected them to harm.
He said that he knew most of the members of the junta including Yahya Jammeh, Sadibou Hydara, Edward Singhateh and Sanna Sabally, toting up that he trained Jammeh and Hydara at the Gerdemiere Training School.
