Ebrima Chongan, Ex- Assistant Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force has told the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that the former junta member, Captain Yankuba Touray has shoved a pistol in his mouth when he was bundled up and tortured at the Mile 2 State Central Prisons in Banjul.
Mr. Chongan who appeared as the first witness, on Monday, the 7th January, 2019 made these revelations during his testimony to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC),at the Dunes Hotel and Resort in Kololi.
“Captain Yankuba Touray shoved a 9 millimetre pistol in my mouth,” Ebrima Chongan told the audiences.
He explained that incident as traumatic when the then junta Vice Chairman, Captain Sana Sabally headed his colleagues, Captain Edward Singhateh, Captain Sadibou Hydara, Captain Yankuba Touray and a group of soldiers stormed the Mile 2 Prisons late at night to torture military detainees.
He recalled how Captain Edward Singhateh took Captain Mamat Cham out of his cell, tortured and dragged him on concrete floors to secret location where they heard gunshots.
He said Captain Babucarr Jeng was also yanked out to face the same maltreatment.
“Everyone was scared,” Chongan said. The former gendarmerie instructor said he too was taken out of his cell, handcuffed from behind, tortured and dragged on a concrete floor, due to which he suffered several injuries and bruises on his body. According him after all the tortures he went through, the then Captain Sana Sabally asked him to recite his last prayer.
He continued “I then heard gunshots in the air before I was taken to a dark cell where I was detained with officers Mamat Cham and Babucarr Jeng, in isolation of other detainees. We spent a month in that detention without having access to our lawyers no was family members were allowed to visit us”..
Mr Chongan mentioned about the alleged November 11 coup that they first heard a tip from the Red Cross delegation that was later confirmed by a prison warden.
He revealed that the death of Lieutenant Basirou Barrow, Lieutenant Dot Faal and others were confirmed to them by some of these soldiers who were accused of the coup and brought to the prisons.
The former police boss also spoke about the arrest of the former junta Vice Chairman, Captain Sana Sabally and Captain Sadibou Hydara, former Interior Minister. He specifically disclosed that one Warrant Officer Alagie Martin accompanied by one man who identified as “Batch” also a soldier came with Captain Edward Singhateh to tortured Sana Sabally and Sadibou Hydara at nights in Prisons.
“I saw Alagie Martin twice, taking part in torturing Sabally and Hydara. He uses to carry a big hammer with him” he told commissioners.
He also mentioned the arrest and detention of the following officers, Ndure Cham, Samsideen Sarr, Sheriff Gomez and others.