By: Nyima Sillah
Former army sergeant Alagie Cham popularly referred to as Sir Jackal has urged the interior minister Abdoulie Sanyang to retract his recent statement that the rate of crime in The Gambia was low, describing the minister’s statement as misleading and fake.
Cham wondered whether Minister Sanyang had done his homework before his utterance, adding that the weekend armed robbery in Balangharr was a clear manifestation that the country’s security is still fragile and not prioritized by the Government.
“I have been telling you [Sanyang]to resign because you don’t know your job. You should take the necessary actions for the country’s security rather than giving misleading statements to the public when you know that the country’s security is at stake,” Sir Jackal stated in an interview with this medium.
He suggested the need for people to take ownership of personal security and safety, arguing that the minister of the interior and the IGP are not showing commitment to protect the lives and properties.
“The only time they act or show concern is when problems like robbery or murder occur. That is the time you will see their reaction in trying to hunt the culprits. Prevention is better than cure. All types of criminals are residing in The Gambia, but not much is done by our security forces to bring them to justice,” he argued.
He reiterated that the statement of the interior minister is misleading, adding that The Gambia is not up to the level of comparing crimes with other countries. He stated that the country should instead put in place preventive measures to deal with the crime situation in the country rather than drawing parallels.
“We should be our security as the government can no longer save the country, and they don’t care because they are secure. All this insecurity was sparked when Barrow took office. Let the government equip the police and deploy the army,” Cham emphasized.
