By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
An eyewitness and a representative of the families of Sukuta who are battling with the state over land ownership at Salagi have challenged a press release issued by the Gambia Police concerning last Friday’s incident that involved one Jerreh Cham who was allegedly shot with a rubber bullet by Paramilitary officials at Salagi.
They told The Voice Newspaper that the police press statement was a manipulation of the true scene meant to deceive the public from unearthing the truth of what actually happened at Salagi on Friday 15th, July 2022.
They confirmed that Jerreh Cham was actually shot with a rubber bullet and he was shot by one of the Paramilitary officers whose attention was drawn in by one Muhammed Darboe of Salagi said to be an agent of the Physical Planning and Land Department.
Lamin Ceesay, an eyewitness who went to Salagi with the victim Jerreh Cham and also spoke with this medium, debunked the Police press release as false and far from the truth.
We were at Salagi to visit one of Jerreh’s friends who were said to be out at the time, while we were going home we saw Ismaila Sillah packing his blocks that was the time we alighted from the vehicle to greet him and that also coincided with the arrival of the Paramilitaries who were shooting directly on us,” Lamin Ceesay explained.
He added: “When we noticed that the Paramilitary Police officers were firing rubber bullets on us, everyone ran except for Jerreh Cham who was waiting for the officers. When the Paramilitary Police officers came close to him one of them shot him two times. That was the time he fell on the ground.”
According to him, the Paramilitaries themselves argued among themselves before one insisted that they must take him to the hospital and they took him to Sukuta Health Center where they handed him to the nurses and left him there in a pool of blood oozing from his eye.
He denied any explanation or suggestion from the Police that the Paramilitary officers were only using tear gas to disperse angry Sukuta Youth, arguing that nobody can deny facts that
Jerreh wasn’t shot with rubber bullets.
Lamin Jatta, a citizen of Sukuta who is among a host of Sukutarians fighting over ownership of lands at Sukuta-Salagi said the incident occurred when one Ismaila Sillah when to the so-called demarcated lands to gather his father’s cement blocks that were used by physical planning to map out the demarcation.
He explained that while Ismaila was busy packing his father’s block Muhammed Darboe, an agent of physical planning, decided to call the attention of the Paramilitaries who lashed havoc on Ismaila and other onlookers.
Jatta also debunked the police statement insisting that Jerreh Cham was not shot with rubber bullets by the Paramilitary police officers, noting that the Paramilitaries were not using teargas but rather firing rubber bullets that they also shot Jerreh Cham within his eye.
He called on the Government of Adama Barrow and his cabinet to come forth to find a lasting solution to the Sukuta Salagi land problem.
He highlighted that their families are constantly experiencing persecution, arrest, and beatings just for defending their landed properties because of physical planning officials who are clandestinely allocating land to their families, friends, and girlfriends.
Police Press Statement On Salagi Land Demarcation Incident
On Friday 15th July 2022, while officers of the Police Intervention Unit were on guard at the government demarcated land at Salagi, some youths of Sukuta mobilised themselves to cause vandalism by removing pegs and lines/markings used in the mapping of the land area allocated for Salagi market and car park.
As the Standard Operating Procedures and rules of engagement, different layers of engagement to de-escalate the situation were used. The officers reached out to the youths to peacefully disperse them.
However, they failed to adhere to the call of officers to peacefully disperse. Subsequently, numerous proclamations were made to have them disperse but to no avail, leaving the officers with no option but to use reasonable means to disperse them.
They were engaged with the use of light tear gas canisters which caused them to fleeing the scene.
During the pandemonium to flee the scene, one Jerreh Cham was believed to have fallen on some obstacles causing him injuries. He was later arrested and escorted to the hospital for medical attention.
Contrary to information spread around that he was shot with a rubber bullet, we wish to make it abundantly clear for the records that, the crowd at the scene was engaged with the use of light tear gas canisters only. Further study of the nature of injuries sustained by the suspect will confirm that, technically rubber bullets cannot inflict such injuries on individuals.
We continue to reassure the public that our officers will operate within the limits of the laws and effectively protect the fundamental human rights of individuals at all times.
The Inspector General’s Office wishes to call on the general public to be law abiding and desist from provoking unrest.
The public is further encouraged to always use peaceful means including use of competent courts of law to seek redress especially in matters of land disputes, rather than taking the law in to their own hands.
The cooperation of the public is highly solicited.
