By Ali Jaw
A prisoner remanded in Mile II prison but last Tuesday sentenced to one year imprisonment has revealed ordeal he had been through in Mile II while on remand.
The remanded prisoner at Mile II, Malang Ba, was arrested by police and remanded two years ago on the allegations of theft. However, after so many adjournments of his case, he was on Tuesday sentenced by Magistrate Sillah of Kanifing Court after being guilty of burglary case charge against him.
He was sentenced to one year imprisonment, and asked to pay a compensation of thousands (actual amount not known to The Voice) in default to serve one year six months imprisonment. In totality, he is to serve two years and six months in prison, but since he had been remanded for two years; he is to spend six months only in jail to complete the sentence, according to the presiding Magistrate.
However, after a sentence was passed, he gave an important remark to the court. In his remark he talked about the ordeals he had been going through over the two years.
According to his narration “Mile II is not a place for a noble person. I have been through a lot and have seen a lot. While at Mile II, three people have died in front of me, in my presence. Now, if you meet me at Mile II, all that I do is reading Quran. I am a changed man.”
He went further that, he can manage the six months, and thanked the Magistrate earnestly.
Mile II, the central prisons of this country, was established to correct and rehabilitate deliberate and inadvertent defaulters, but over the years it has been disconnected far away from that noble-cause for which it was established. During ex-president Jammeh’s regime, this prison was modified into torture center and a hell for defaulters who have ended up there, according to some prisoners and ex-prisoners.
However, since the coming of the present government into power in 2017 up to about year to two later, hopes and optimism were high both for citizens and prisoners in particular, but all those hopes had been shattered. All the promises that were made to prisoners await to be realities and the changes that were expected upon change of government awaits implementation, according to many.
Since the change of government, everyday citizens hear fresh awes from prisoners, which they never thought is still happening.