By: Sekou Hydara
Indigenous of people Sukuta Sabiji has allegedly accused officials of Local Government and Lands as well as staffers of Physical Planning for engaging in clandestine business of selling dozens of plots of lands situated at Salagi.
They also alleged that senior staffers of Local Government and Physical Planning of freely allocating plots of lands to relatives and concubines against the well of the people of Sukuta.
The group made the allegations on Sunday 13th October, 2019 at Salagi, where dozens of youths and elderlies from even Kabilos converge at Salagi to send clear warning to the state to intervene before matters goes out of hand amidst continues sales and allocation of plots of lands to people connected to staffers of Local Government and Lands and the Physical Planning.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Lands and Physical Planning the people of Sukuta accuses includes Ansu Fatty, Musa Badgie, Kebba Ceesay, Mamudu Manjang, Ensa Camara, Lamin Jawara and Saikou Sanyang, they alleged that these officials are responsible for the illegal selling of their lands at Salagi.
“We are calling on the government of The Gambia to urgently intervene in this matter at Salagi as we are seeing officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Lands and Department of Physical Planning selling our lands to people leaving our own children without anywhere to call home. If this Salagi issue is not solved we might see a repeat of Faraba Banta incident here,” said Alh. Morro Beyai.
According to him, officials of these institutions have always been alleging that it was the former President Yahya Jammeh who authorized them to create a layout in the area leading to demarcations of lands at Salagi, adding that the former President denied the allegations in 2016 at a meeting in Sukuta where he urged the institutions to solve the matter urgently.
Beyai pointed out that the former President’s regime ended in December of 2016, and the issue of Salagi remains unsolved by the government of Adama Barrow, adding that if this matter remains unsolved a big problem may erupt that may cost both government and the people of Sukuta.
Kebba Nfamara Darboe, an elder of the community also call on the Gambia Government to take the issue of Salagi very seriously, adding that Salagi is neither a government designated neither layout nor an estate.
He said the continuous selling of lands by government authorities at Salagi is a serious violation of the laws of the country, noting that while these sell of lands by government officials is ongoing thousands of Indigenous of Sukuta are left without a single plot of land.
He accused officials of the Local Government and Lands Ministry for blocking all their efforts in getting back their lands, revealing that any government officials who should help the people of Sukuta to claim their lands at Salagi are usually corrupted with either cash or land.
“It’s very sad that we have to go through this pain and suffering in our own land, Salagi belongs to Sukuta and the people of Sukuta are the rightful owners of Salagi. However, since Jammeh left power anyone who can be of help for we the people of Sukuta to regain our lands will either be bribe with cash or a plot of land at Salagi,” Darboe explained.
Ousman Bojang, a youth leader in Sukuta, strongly call on the government to act now before it will be late, disclosing that the reason for the gathering is to send a last warning to the government so that if anything happens tomorrow no Gambian will blame the people of Sukuta.
Bojang claims that any son or daughter of Sukuta who stands to claim ownership of Land at Salagi is either arrested, detained or persecuted for any unjust reason, adding that the youth folk are now ready to stop this madness that has been going on for sometimes now without abating.
Lamin Cham alias Langboy who also spoke on behalf of the youths said it is very unfair for the youths of Sukuta to continue staying in family compounds when officials of government continue to sell their lands that they can use as their compounds, alleging that officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Lands including officials of the Physically Planning should be held accountable to any trouble that may emanate from Salagi.
He revealed that, the Land Commission set up by the former regime has clearly spelt that Salagi is neither a layout nor an estate, asking why officials of these institutions will continue to sell their lands thus sending the youths of Sukuta to becoming destitute in their own community.
He said he has personally challenged officials of these institutions to produce a master plan that shows Salagi is own by government and designated as an estate or a layout, revealing that this master plan cannot be produce by these institutions up to date.
He warns that if Gambia Government failed to solve the Salagi issue the youths of Sukuta will do so, while calling on anyone allocated with a plot of land in Salagi to reject it as it is under a conflict.
They community also urges people to reject any land sold to them by officials of Local Government and lands and Physical Planning, warning that no one should development any land at Salagi or else risk demolition. They said after this warning anyone who tries to develop any plot at Salagi will be demolish forthwith.