By Adama Makasuba
Abdoulie H Bojang former police officer cried before Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission on Thursday as he recalled being stopped to see the lifeless body of his son at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital after he was shot death in 2000 student protest has wept for the death of his son as he recalled.
He broke into emotion in front of TRRC officials and tent filled with listeners as recalled how he was denied seeing his beloved son at the country’s main referral hospital in Banjul.
“I went to hospital, then I was in shorts, I found the nurses, the wounded children were crying and the hospital was busy and people were wailing around and went around the hospital I couldn’t see my son,” Mr Bojang said in tears.
In 2000, students took to streets demanding justice for one Ebrima Barry who is allegedly killed by fire service officers and others who were victimimised. But the demonstration turned violence after armed soldiers and police opened fire on armless students.
When I came packed the car and jumped on the motorbike and headed to Banjul to see whether I can get the child out there, I assumed that he might have been wounded or hiding somewhere. Then I came back and met up with the nurses and I asked them-I am asking for my son and they asked me what is the name of your son, I told Lamin A Bojang, they were quite looking at each other. They told me he is here but you cannot see him, he said.
The father of 16 added he heard about students being shot with live bullets on BBC focus on Africa ‘I heard him reporting on the BBC that shots were fired and some students were killed.’