By: Haddy Touray
Scores of property owners and natives of Sukuta have expressed their dismay and disapproval, regarding the recent demolition of properties by the Department of Physical Planning at Salagi.
Property owners, who spoke with this reporter, confirmed that officials of Physical Planning Department, accompanied by armed paramilitary officers, conducted the demolition exercise on 28th March and 3rd April, 2025, noting that this exercise affected more than 17 compounds, which were “bull-dozed to the ground”.
According to one of our interlocutors, the majority of the compounds affected have been inhabited by Gambians, who acquired their land from the people of Sutuka, adding that most of the affected property owners have invested millions of dalasi on their properties and “are now left homeless”.
Lamin Manjang, one of the victims of the demolition exercise, expressed shock and disbelief, stating that they were only given a short notice. He bemoaned that his family spent over D4m in the construction of their storey-building, which was demolished during the exercise, recounting that the demolition has emotionally shaken his entire family, who have been left homeless.
Manjang said the authorities did not engage the property owners before the demolition.
He appealed to the Government to halt the exercise and engage the affected families, noting that his family will not relent in its search for justice.
A year-old-aggrieved Mbara Bojang told this medium that it was not the first time that the Physical Planning Department had forcefully taken lands, belonging to her family. She explained that the lands bequeathed to her children by their late father were taken from them, prompting her to give them her land but she lamented that the authorities have demolished the property on that land, too.
According to her, the children have invested all their life-savings into the development of their lands to enable their families to move in, noting that the demolition of their properties traumatised their entire family, who are now wondering what would be their next move.
She said that most of the affected property owners have nowhere to go, hinting that the properties demolished were worth millions of dalasi and should not perish without compensation.
Ousman Bojang, a representative of Kenebaring Kabilo whose inherited lands were affected by the demolition, expressed shock and disbelief, revealing that all types of structures including storey buildings, self-contained apartments, slopes and line-houses have been erased.
He pointed out that more than 17 compounds have been bulldozed, leaving affected families without shelter.
Bojang dismissed as false the claim by Minister Ismaila Ceesay that the affected property owners have been compensated.
“We want to call on Minister Ismaila Ceesay to do his findings before giving any false information to the public. It is not true that these land owners have been compensated and we are challenging him to come out with a list of those people or families compensated at Salagi proper,” Ousman Bojang contended. He added: “What we are seeing here in Salagi is that government officials, including personnel of the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning Department, are grabbing lands belonging to different families in Sukuta. We have been seeing physical planning officials demarcating lands, selling some and allocating plots to their spouse, relatives and even their girlfriends have lands here.”
He alleged that anytime the physical planning department officials want to grab lands at Salagi, they will use the “veneer” of reserving the lands, revealing that lands previously reserved for a hospital, mosque, cemetery, garage and prayer grounds have been sold out to private Gambians without any due consideration to the rightful owners of the land and the people living in Salagi.
Bojang also challenged the Ministry of Lands to publish its report on Salagi, noting that the report has established that affected families in Sukuta have not been compensated, while highlighting serious discrepancies in allocation of plots in Salagi at the detriment of the people of Sukuta.
Many other affected families, including that of Haddy Cham also expressed their shock, disbelief and dismay, regarding the demolition, arguing that most of the families affected have indeed obtained building permits from the Physical Planning Department.
