By: Nyima Sillah
The Deputy PRO of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) said some legal issues need to be navigated before national ID cards are issued to some residents of Brufut Ghana Town.
Some residents of a settlement of over two thousand people said they fear being completely deprived of Gambian citizenship after the authorities reportedly failed to renew their expired national documents. Others are still undocumented.
Ghana Town, mainly inhabited by people of Ghanaian descent, was founded more than five decades ago.
However, the GID deputy PRO Inspector Muhammed Bah said some legal processes have to be exhausted before national identification documents could be issued to some Ghana Town residents.
“I don’t think we want to talk about it [Ghana Town issue] that much. These people were given privilege during the former regime and in this regime, there are some legal issues that are supposed to be completely exhausted for the issuing of documents to be continued,” GID Deputy PRO Muhammad Bah told The Voice in an exclusive interview.
He explained that the GID and Ministry of Justice have been working hand in hand to see how the matter could be ironed out.
“At this point, I don’t have information as to how far it is going on but it is a legal issue and a legal issue is not only with immigration but has to do with ministries that are responsible for the Constitution. We are a law enforcement agency. Anything that is not found within our legal mandate, we cannot do. We just don’t do things that are outside our legal mandate,” PRO Bah stated.
He further explained that some legal issues had to be dealt with first to enable the GID to legally issue documents to Ghana Town residents.
“We understand their plight. We recognize their frustrations but there is a gap that we will not want to find ourselves liable for in the future that is why we are very careful and want everything to be exhausted so that we can continue to offer them this service,” he stated.
Inspector Bah said the GID is just a link between the government and the people when it comes to issuing documents that it is tasked to deliver to the citizens but was quick to point out that the task is governed by laws.
“Giving them the national identity card is not our problem but whether we can justify[it] is what we are looking at. We have engaged the relevant authorities to help us and guide us. So, we are waiting for that,” Bah remarked.