There is no case in recent memory that has attracted more public attention than State vs Bob Keita. While each of us has different reasons why that is the case, it is necessary to refresh memories about what happened so far since the case was officially filed in July 2020.

Here is a short timeline of major events, either at the courts or hospital, for the past two years.

November 7^th 2019: Bob Keita was formally charged by the police.

June 15^th 2020: The case was officially filed

July 20^th 2020: Bob Keita appeared in court for the first time

July 21^st 2020: Defence filed motion and affidavit for bail

July 23^rd 2020: The Prosecution filed an affidavit in opposition against bail.

August 11^th 2020: High Court granted bail

August 24^th 2020: The prosecution filed an appeal to the Gambia Court of Appeal against the bail.

March 31^st 2021: Court of Appeal revoked bail, stating the offense is not bailable. Bob was then remanded in custody.

April 9^th 2021: Defence filed an appeal to Supreme Court against the revocation of the bail. This is still pending before the Supreme Court.

April 29^th 2021: Prosecution wrote to Defence to conduct DNA and solicited their cooperation for the process. The prosecution said Defence did not reply.

However, Defence said the police investigation report, which was sent to the Prosecution before Bob was charged, had urged the State to do a DNA examination to determine whose child is Baby M before charging anyone. The Defence said the State however refused and instead charged Bob alone, leaving out Pa Modou Johm, who is the ex-boyfriend of the victim.

June 14^th 2021: Prosecution wrote a follow-up letter the on DNA request. Again, Prosecution claimed Defence didn’t respond.

December 16^th 2021: The Prosecution filed a motion and a supporting affidavit for High Court to grant an order for a DNA examination to take place.

January 5^th 2022: Defence filed an affidavit in opposition to the DNA application. The Defence said the DNA application was only made when Bob was remanded so that they can have total control of the process.

July 7^th 2022: Court ruled in favour of Prosecution for DNA to be conducted. Court also added the victim’s ex-boyfriend be part of the DNA examination process.

July 15^th 2022: Defence filed an appeal against that order for DNA to the Court of Appeal.

July 18^th July 2022: Defence filed a motion for the stay of execution of DNA sample collection to the same court which granted the ruling.

July 27^th 2022: High Court ruled against Defence, holding that it cannot grant a stay of execution of its own order. Case adjourned to October 5^th.

July 28^th 2022: Defence applied to the Chief Justice for the case to continue with the vacation judge.

August 3^rd 2022: Defence filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal to overturn the high court’s ruling and grant a stay of execution. This is yet to be determined by the Court of Appeal.

August 4^th 2022: Chief Justice denied the request to continue the case with the vacation judge.

PROSECUTION ON DNA SAMPLE COLLECTION

July 4^th 2022: The Prosecution said it wrote to EFSTH requesting for blood samples to be extracted from Baby M and kept in safe custody. The prosecution said Baby M was at the time unconscious, hospitalized and on the verge of being transported to Dakar for further treatment.

The Prosecution told the court that samples were already extracted from Baby M and it said the court held that this was okay.

July 13^th 2022: Prosecution said Bob and Johm’s samples were collected at EFSTH in the presence of the prosecution, Bob’s family and friends.

The Defence queried the sample collection from Baby M prior to the court order, stating that it was not a transparent process

August 9^th 2022: Prosecution wrote to Defence requesting their presence for another sample collection from the late Baby M and that another biological sample was desirable to be collected from the accused.

The court had earlier stated that any other biological sample could be taken from the persons subject to DNA and not necessarily only blood samples.

August 9^th 2022: The Defence replied that it will not be present for the second sample collection from the late Baby M

August 10^th 2022: The Prosecution said it wrote back to Defence to ask them to reconsider their position that they won’t be present for the second sample collection.

The Prosecution stated that there was a subsisting court order and that they merely invited Defence out of good faith and for purpose of transparency.

August 10^th 2022: Defence replied that they still hold on to their position, stating that they had already filed an appeal against the order for DNA and a stay of execution.

The Defence said they will not undermine that appeal by witnessing the sample collection.

August 12^th 2022: The Defence didn’t show up to witness sample collection. Bob did, but stopped at the entrance of the mortuary and refused to enter the hospital to witness the said sample collection.

The Prosecution said the court registrar, the police forensic officer and the state prosecutor all attempted to convince him but it all proved futile.

The sample collection then went ahead in the absence of the Defence and the accused person.

The Prosecution maintained that had the Defence responded to their letters, they wouldn’t be arguing about lack of transparency or trust in the sample collection because the Prosecution gave them the opportunity to decide how and where they want it, and the State would pay for everything.

DEFENCE ON DNA SAMPLE COLLECTION

The Defence said their refusal to the DNA examination was communicated to the State Counsel orally in court. The Defence said they clearly stated that they will not participate in the process that’s supervised by the state, which is prosecuting the accused.

The Defence said the ruling of the 7th July made it worse when it stated that the State shall coordinate and supervise the sample extraction and examination.

The Defence said the court deemed the samples of the 4th July from Baby M as regular when it was extracted before the order and no one was present when it was extracted.

Defence said they refused to participate in the extraction on 9^th July and made their position clear that their stay of execution of the ruling at the Court of Appeal is pending and they will not undermine it.

The Defence said the Prosecution knows that when a stay of execution is filed in any matter, execution of the ruling sought to stay is abated, pending the outcome of the application no matter how long it takes.

The Defence said the Prosecution does not collect evidence in any trial as that is the role of the police

October 5^th 2022: Case resumes after vacation.

CREDIT: Talibeh Hydara

By: Modou Touray

Market vendors at Farato have told The Fatu Network that their market is dilapidated and leaks during rainfalls. According to the vendors, such condition causes them to cease sales during the rains thereby affecting their daily earnings. They said the market is at risk of disaster, while calling for urgent actions to minimize its vulnerability to disaster.

“Our roof is leaking seriously. When it about to rain, we abandon the place because we get wet by sitting there,” a vendor, Musukoto Saidy disclosed.

“It is important to renovate the roof. The roof might collapse on us someday,” Sariba Niie noted.

The vendors suggested for the full rehabilitation of the market structure as soon as possible.

“The revenue collector comes around daily and each of us pay D5 as market due. We have been paying it for a long time now. Our market needs improvement to make it more hygienic,” Samba Tunkara explained.

Another vendor, Jarra Ceesay said they want to know how the market dues they pay are being spent by authorities.

Farato settlement is growing rapidly in population as many settlers of the densely populated neighborhoods in the Greater Banjul Area are relocating there.

“People are moving from Banjul, Serekunda and other towns to buy pieces of land at Farato for housing purposes. Many women nowadays venture into vegetable and commodities selling to sustain their families,” Fatou Badjiie narrated.

Scramble for space for housing is challenging in settlements within Greater Banjul Area coupled with rural-urban drift make the demand for social amenities high.

“Another challenge here is sanitation. The dirty water cannot flow easily. It is stagnant and smelling. The entire market space is small,” Jerro konteh said.

The Farato market is a community initiative and was established to ease the burden of residents who commute daily to shop at nearby Brikama market.

The Village Development Committee (VDC) is overseeing the market and also responsible for the management of revenue collected there.

Mr Bakary Fatty, a native of the village, is in charge of collecting revenue at the market daily.

“We used to charge D2 daily before but it has been increased to D5. The market is not under the Brikama Area Council. The amount we collect is minimal and it is not enough to do all the renovation work. Vendors also throw rubbish everywhere which is not helping,” Bakary Fatty said

The VDC according to him is working tirelessly to rebuild the entire market to standard.

“The amount we pay for the service of waste collection is huge. I admit that the roof is leaking and we have challenges, but with time, we will be able to solve them.”

The key function of the VDC is to make adjustment between existing challenges and resources by taking necessary decisions. The VDC sometimes acquires resources from outside to solve problems of the village.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Head Coach of Brikama United Football Club, Modou Lamin Nyassi is set to become the greatest ever coach of Brikama United if he wins the Football Federation Cup (FF Cup) against serial winners Wallidan FC at the Independence Stadium this evening.

In what will be a consolation to both teams’ disappointing season, the country’s record trophy winners Wallidan will have a harder battle against the hungry Modou Lamin Nyassi and his team on the pitch at the Bakau stadium.

Underrated by many, Modu Lamin Nyassi, nicknamed Charly is just 90 minutes away from writing history for Brikama United since the formation of the town’s football club by winning both the GFF league and the FF Cup for the ‘satayba’ boys; none of his predecessors had achieved this feat. Charly is just 90 minutes away from setting a record.

Brikama as a town is blessed with fantastic and trophy-winning coaches from the late Lamin Sarr to the late Sulayman Kuyateh, but none of these two had won the league for Brikama United.

Brikama United first won the top flight Gambian league trophy in the 2011-12 league season when Ensa Sambou displayed magic and stunned Gambian football fanatics by winning the league in style. Their second trophy would come three years later under Sulayman Kuyateh as he guided them to the FF Cup in 2015.

However, both Ensa and the late Sulayman had never won both the league and the FF Cup for Brikama United, a feat that Charly is set to accomplish.

“I won everything for Brikama. I was the captain of the team when we qualified to the first division as winners, and won the league as the coach. If I win the FF Cup today, that will be something great for me in my career. I lost the final in 2018 and I don’t want history to repeat itself today,” Charly told The Fatu Network.

In 2015, when Brikama United won its first first ever FF cup, Charly was the Assistant Head Coach to the late Sulayman Kuyateh. When Kuyateh left, Charly became the Head Coach, and lost the FF Cup final in 2018 but won the league in 2019.

Soft-spoken but lethal against opponents, Charly has constantly presented Brikama United as contenders for trophies in the Gambia.

Describing Charly, Ebrima KB Sonko, a native of Brikama and the PRO of the Sports Committee, likened him, as a coach, to Zidane.

“I will rate him as the best coach for Brikama United ahead of the late Kuyateh and Ensa Sambou if he manages to win today,” KB commented.

If Charly wins Wallidan today, he will be the first Brikama United manager to have won both the league and the FF Cup. However, in terms of trophy records, he will match Sulayman Kuyateh’s records who won the League with Gamtel FC and is the only coach to have won the FF Cup for Brikama United.

A victory today will earn him top status in the annals of Brikama United’s history and put him up there with Sulayman Kuyateh in terms of trophies won by a native of Brikama.

Brikama United and Wallidan will jostle for the FF Cup at the Independence Stadium today at 4 pm.

By: Alimatou S Bajinka

Clean Earth Gambia in partnership with Leadership Ethics and Civics Programmes (LEAP) Africa has begun a two-day tree planting exercise in observance of Youth Day of Service

The tree planting exercise started at Bakau New Town Lower Basic School and then proceeded to Bakau Lower Basic School where 200 seedlings were planted.

According to Fatou Jeng of Clean Earth Gambia, 200 seedlings in Bakau in August are dedicated to youth, adding that Clean Earth Gambia is taking action on Climate Resilience.

She said 400 seedlings will be planted tomorrow at Sukuta across different locations.

Jeng further stated that climate action is everyone’s responsibility.

“We believe that climate action continues to be everyone’s responsibility and young people continue to take key leadership roles towards climate adaptation in The Gambia.”

Youth Day of Service is the largest annual celebration of young volunteers, aimed at bringing youth together to change the world. It is said to be celebrated in 100 countries.

Amidst a protest last week in front of the governor’s office calling for the then Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally not to be sacked, natives of Kassa Kunda village in Kombo Central District, West Coast Region, have welcomed the appointment of Sheriffo Ebrima Sabally as the new Alkalo of the village.

They have promised to support and stand by the new Alkalo while discrediting earlier reports that Sana-Bairo Sabally, a key figure of the defunct AFPRC junta, had connived with the Office of the Governor of the West Coast Region in making an unlawful appointment.

A Kerr Fatou report on Wednesday 17th August 2022 indicated that residents of the village protested outside the governor’s office over an unlawful appointment of a new Alkalo for the village. The protesters have accused Governor Ousman Bojang of conniving with Sana-Bairo Sabally in appointing the new Alkalo, Ebrima.

Contrary to claims made by those seen in a protest video, the removal of former Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally is in line with Section 145 of the Local Government Act of the Gambia. Sections 145 (a) and (b) of the act clearly dictate the removal of an Alkalo for misconduct, incompetency or his/her inability to perform the functions of office for any cause, whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or otherwise.

Similarly, some natives of the village disclosed that there was no foul play in the process and that those ranting in the protest video are the same people encouraging and carrying out corrupt practices in the village for over 30 years.

“They don’t want any other Alkalo to come who will ask questions over their administration of the village activities,” one native disclosed.

Another native disclosed that members of the embattled Village Development Committee (VDC) are merely using Sana-Bairo Sabally’s name in the issue to solicit political support.

“They are hell-bent on embezzling village funds and using Bairo’s name to solicit political support for their dubious acts,” he said.

He continued, “their world has now crumbled and their future is going to be very difficult to make ends meet since there will be no more chances of dubious land sales.”

“They were having it their way for many years (1995-2022) until a recent uprising of some patriotic villagers. They are against the appointment of a new Alkalo for their selfish reasons,” he concluded.

Another native who is close to the Sabally family disclosed that the family had engaged the former Alkalo Cherno Siranding Sabally to render him support because of his health condition (visual impairment) but he declined.

“They have proposed to form a committee within the family to support him because of his condition but he rejected the proposal outright,” the source said.

It could be recalled last week that the former Alkalo of Kassa Kunda, Cherno Siranding Sabally, was removed and replaced with Sheriffo Ebrima Sabally by the office of the Governor of the West Coast Region.

Cherno is said to be incapacitated, which led to his removal and the subsequent appointment of Sheriffo as the new Alkalo of the village.

By: Amara Thoronka

The hasty passion among young Africans to travel to other countries by all means possible and make money continues to be worrisome. Because of such unguided determination, many have been duped and/or trafficked by scammers in the guise of overseas employment agents.

With the help of some tipoffs from residents, the Gambia Police Force (GPF) on Friday 19^th August 2022 carried out a raid at a suspected area and apprehend 11 ladies whom the police have confirmed to be Nigerians.

“As part of our efforts to curb crime and illegal activities in the country, the Tourism Security Unit command conducted a raiding exercise today [August 19^th] whereupon 11 suspected sex workers were arrested. All the suspects are Nigerian nationals who are between the ages of 22 to 34 years,” police disclosed in a statement.

Preliminary report shows that the “ladies have been operating tactically, thus detecting their activities was even more difficult unless they were reported to the police station.”

They are said to have been brought into the country by other ladies who, allegedly, have been into sex trade for a while.

“The suspected sex workers are usually brought in by other experienced workers who would put them through a spiritual initiation of either taking an oath or taking their pictures to a shrine to swear that they will pay all the expenses spent on their travel, failure of which can lead to madness or even death,” the police statement stated.

One of the ladies, who is said to be a widow of three, narrated her sex trafficking ordeal to the police.

“A widow and mother of three who is nicknamed ‘Happiness’ narrated how she came to The Gambia by land through an agent who she works for. According to her, she should pay a sum of D200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Dalasi) to her master for the travel expenses while on her way to The Gambia

She also claimed to have already paid D120,000 but she was later sent out of the house on allegation of her involvement in thievery. Consequently, her boss forced her to hand over all the money she had been saving,” Happiness narrated.

She claimed that she makes two to three thousand Dalasis (about $37-56) per night, depending on the number of customers. ‘Happiness’ also claimed to have been saving some money for her return to Nigeria and reunite with her family but repaying her loan to her defunct boss has been challenging.

When asked if she was aware of her purpose of being trafficked, she confessed that she was informed about it with two other ladies. She further confirmed that the two ladies rejected the idea after being told about some spiritual undertakings, but she (Happiness) consented saying that she needed the money to support her children.

She noted that her colleagues were deceived as they came with the hope that they were coming for lucrative jobs and businesses.

“The arrested suspects will be handed over to The Police Special Intervention Unit for further investigation,” the police statement concluded.

According to reports, many young people have lost their lives while others have lost their human dignity just to travel to other countries to make a living. Many a time, people sell all their valuables to make the risky journeys after being brainwashed with undocumented prosperity.

Trafficking and scamming in the guise of making greener pastures in other countries continue to be major challenges discussed in local and international platforms as many young people have been victimized. The stories are always horrible to hear.

International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations specialized agency on migration, and many in-country and international public bodies have been warning and sensitizing young people to learn from such scamming overseas employment stories happening globally.

By: Modou Touray

Vice president of Senegambia Tourist Taxi Drivers Association, Mr Lamin Dibba, has revealed that old tourist ladies improve their lives by marrying them as well as providing them with humanitarian assistance. He was reacting to a call by local tourism officials who claimed that the old ladies are exploiting young people.

“They marry and buy us compounds or houses, deposit huge money into our bank accounts and sometimes facilitate our traveling abroad.”

Mr Dibba said youth unemployment is high, therefore marrying old tourist ladies uplift their livelihood status.

Most of the unemployed youths frequently visit tourism development area to scout for an opportunity to meet tourist ladies. “If youths have chances, crimes will drastically reduce because they will be able to take care of them rather than stealing and depending on other family members.”

According to some data on tourism, the sector is vital to The Gambia’s economy. In total, it creates some 139,000 jobs or provides almost 19 per cent of total employment, This figures are contained in a  2017 report by the World Travel and Tourism Council measuring both direct and indirect economic activity.

“When you marry a foreign lady, you are not only expanding your culture, but also the culture of all of your loved ones. When you introduce your new foreign partner to everyone, you’re giving them the opportunity to have contact with a person and a culture that they might never have had the occasion to meet before.”

Mr Dibba, who was speaking on behalf of his association, said to single out old tourist ladies and referring to them as exploiters is a discriminatory remark, arguing that love has no age.

“The old ladies don’t force anyone, they convince you and if you agree you can marry because most of them are here for leisure ”

The findings show that the main sources of discrimination in hospitality and tourism services include sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, lookism and ego-altruism. Discrimination-related research has temporal and geographical variations.

The Gambia is a popular and affordable all year-round destination attracting tourists in search of sun, sand, sea, nature and varied cultural experiences among other things.

“We are taxi drivers. We get a lot of money from old ladies because they spend a lot than younger tourists. They are mostly retired workers and they have enough money to enjoy. If you restrict them from coming to the Gambia, the amount of money earned from tourism will be low.”

Taxi business helps to stimulate the local economy by transporting tourists all over the town and to major tourist attractions. This is usually where there are lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. So, taxi business helps facilitate trade, services and movement.

Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal, business and other purposes.

UDP’s Kemo Bojang Calls For Sports Minister’s Resignation

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Amidst claims of his wife being paid per diem from the Commonwealth Games in the UK and Islamic Games in Turkey in addition to a variety of challenges the youths are facing, the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Youth Secretary, Kemo Bojang, who once hailed Bakary Badjie for delivering for the young people in the country, has now said that the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports should resign if he means well for Gambians.

Kemo was speaking to The Fatu Network about claims of Hawa Jorbateh, wife of Bakary Badjie, being paid per diem in accompanying her minister husband to these events.

“We are all disappointed. Considering that Bakary used to be so inspiring and once served as a councillor at KMC before leaving for America and worked in many organisations that had to deal with young people and children. We thought that he was a change-leading leader, but it is unfortunate. Unfortunately, he is spending a lot of money on himself and his wife. I think now he should be honourable enough and resign from that position if he means well for Gambians and Gambia,” Kemo Bojang echoed.

Bojang, who doubles as a youth councillor at Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), argued that it is during the time of Bakary Badjie as Youth and Sports Minister that youth unemployment has risen highest and that the rainy football competitions locally called ‘Nawettan’ are stopped and the country’s main football stadium is deemed unfit for international games.

“It is unfortunate that during his time as a minister, Gambian young people regress. It is during his time that we have seen young people using drugs the highest.  Also, ‘nawettans’ have not been played for three years consecutively because our playing pitches are not functional and our independence stadium that bad”, he asserted.

The UDP youth leader said that the minister allegedly travelling with his wife, Hawa Jobarteh, who is not a government official is uncalled for. He alleged that the Gambia’s Chief De Mission to the Commonwealth Games, Bakary Jammeh, said that his wife travelled with him, but was at his own cost.

He commented that young people should change their status in the country instead of involving in corruption.

Bojang further mentioned that the money alleged to have been spent on Bakary Badjie’s wife as payment could have helped so many young people in the country.

He maintained that Bakary should resign for such an act and embezzlement of State’s money.

The Youth and Sports Minister is under fire after a leaked missive from his ministry indicating payment of per diem to his wife, Hawa Jorbateh, who accompanied him as a special guest to Birmingham, England, and Turkey for the Commonwealth Games, the 5th Islamic Games in Turkey respectively.

However, the minister refuted claims of his wife being denied a UK visa. He also denied claims that his wife spent 14 days with him during the two events. He clarified that his wife spent just 5 days with him, and that was in Konya, Turkey.

By: Dawda Baldeh

In their quest to combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Muhammed S Bah, the President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) has urged the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other institutions advocating to end SGBV to provide reporting grants to journalists to help them pursue stories. He made this plea at the end of a three-day training of journalists on sensitive and ethical reporting on GBV organized by UNFPA at Boaboa Hotel in Bijilo.

He revealed that there are a lot of gender-based violence cases that are under-reported.

“If the government is not proactively talking about these issues, the media has the responsibility to ensure that these stories are reported,” he said, adding that combating gender-based violence requires collective responsibilities.

“I was told by a senior official at the Ministry of Justice that they record over thirty (30) cases of GBV every month. This is sad.”

The GPU President noted that despite the laws criminalizing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGMC), the practice is still carried out by communities.

MS Bah urged various organizations that are advocating to end FGMC and GBV to support journalists with reporting grants to enable them to dig deep and expose the perpetrators.

“I wrote a story about FGMC to say despite the banning of FGMC, the practice is still carried in many societies. So, what is the media doing in ensuring that these cases are reported? The focus should not only be on politicians.

UNFPA, you have to bring money to support journalists. On many occasions, journalists want to do very important stories but their problem is the monetary aspect.

I discussed with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and I ask them to think of partnering with relevant stakeholders like the GPU to provide reporting grants for journalists to do story pitching on migration and give in-depth reports.

Let’s say you provide a grant and pay one hundred dollars per story, in six months you will have quality stories. You should empower the journalists so they can pursue different stores. And am urging all other institutions to support journalists with reporting grants,” he said.

The GPU President reiterated that journalists are committed to reporting in all aspects but lack the necessary support.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

On the back of a public outcry about the leaked missive from the Ministry of Youth and Sports paying Minister Bakary Badjie and his wife Hawa Jorbateh for fourteen days in Birmingham, England and Konya, Turkey, the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress Youth president MC Cham Jr has said that the youth and sports minister is not alone in this game, noting all ministers are learning from President Adama Barrow.

According to Cham, the President of the Gambia is the champion of corruption with all his ministers copying him.

“The entire government of President Barrow is corrupt. Barrow is the champion of corruption and his ministers and entire government officials are copying from him,” he claimed.

The GDC’s National Youth President added that President Barrow and his officials are not serious about fighting corruption, which is retarding the country.

He emphasised that minister Badjie’s per diem corruption scandal is the one being exposed, but many of Barrow’s ministers have been engaged in a similar act.

According to reports, the minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Badjie, had earlier confirmed that his wife was denied a visa to Birmingham, England but was paid per diem regardless.

The minister and his wife, from the Commonwealth games in the UK, proceeded to Konya, Turkey for the 5th Islamic games.

Cham noted that such acts from Bakary Badjie, who is described by many as a hardworking youth, are unethical and unexpected from him. He outlined that involving his wife in the per diem scandal is a big mistake for the minister.

“He is not known to be engaged in corrupt activities but the per diem issue involving his wife is a big mistake. I call on the youth minister to rectify this mistake to restore the confidence Gambians have in him,” he said.

In a missive signed by Lamin A. Camara, Bakary Badjie received 300 pounds daily while Hawa Jobarteh, his wife pocketed 200 pounds in 14 days.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Edwin Snowe Junior, Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS Parliament, has said they are drafting a good governance bill that will not allow any president of member states to seek third term after completing their required two-term tenure. The Liberian lawmaker made these remarks at a joint ECOWAS parliamentary committee deliberation in Banjul.

Mr. Edwin said the ECOWAS Parliament is now having a supplementary act that will enable them to provide oversight to any community and monitor elections within the region.

“We are discouraging current sitting presidents to desist from third term because when you ambush the constitution you give citizens the right to ambush your tenure.

Presidents are entitled to one term and if citizens are comfortable with their leadership, they will give them second term. Governments should not change their constitutions just to stay in power and this is a cause for most of the coups,” he explained.

He said they were in Senegal during the parliamentary election, disclosing that they discouraged President Macky Sall from attempting a third term.

“We are now drafting the good governance bill to prevent presidents from seeking third term in our region and we hope it doesn’t happen in Gambia. We hope that after his second term, President Adama Barrow will respectfully step down.”

According to him, the ECOWAS Parliament is against all the coups that occurred within the member states, saying it is illegal and as lawmakers, they must ensure the interest of member states is protected.

He cited the coups in Guinea Conakry, Mali, Burkina Faso and the recent violent protest in Sierra Leone. However, Edwin urged member states to take ownership of their actions.

“When you leave your country and travel to another you should know that you are representing your country.”

The ECOWAS Parliament is the inter-states Assembly of West African nations, a forum for dialogue, consultation, and representation of the people of West Africa with the aimed of promoting integration, corporation and development. It was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993 which comprises 115 seats.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

One Saja Camara has been arraigned at the Kanifing Magistrate Court over his alleged issuance of a false Ecobank cheque for D104,900 to one Mariama Touray, an employee at Isa Travel Agency.

The incident allegedly occurred on November 19th last year when the accused allegedly issued the cheque bearing the name of Win Win Oils Gambia Limited with Account Number: 6258006107.

The money was allegedly the payment of a ticket prepared for the accused who was helping Mariama Kebbeh to travel to England.

Saja pleaded not guilty.

The first witness and complainant, Mariama Touray narrated that Isa Travel Agency used to work with the accused’s company but the ticked saga was personal.

She told the court that the accused was getting the ticket for One Mariama Kebbeh who needed to travel by the 6th of November 2021.

“He (the accused) linked me with Mariama’s brother whom I told the ticket is expensive. I told him it is D104,900. He said that would not be a problem. They wanted her to go on the 6th. The ticket was issued on the 5th of November 2022,” the witness narrated.

The witness continued that he called the accused a week after the ticket was issued for the payment of the money but the accused said they were working on it.

“He brought an Ecobank cheque on the 19th for an amount of D104,900. We took the cheque to the bank but it bounced. The Bank told us to contact the accused. I called him (the accused). He asked me to give him time for them to work on it,” she narrated.

Mariama Touray testified that whenever they went to the bank, they were told there was no money. She narrated, ending up reporting the accused to the fraud squad.

“When my office said they would suspend me, I texted the accused on WhatsApp. He said he would pay before my suspension.

“A month after my suspension, he called me to tell me he had D50,000 which I told him to deposit at the office,” she told the court.

The witness said she contacted her brother two weeks before her suspension ended for him to help pay the balance for her, which is D54,900. She said she would have been sacked if she had not done that.

“Even after that, he (the accused) has not paid the money,” Mariama Touray told the court.

The accused was asked if he would cross-examine the witness. He told the court he would need legal representation.

The matter was adjourned till September 1st 2022. The accused was granted bail in the sum of D120,000 or two Gambian sureties.

By: Alimatou S Bajinka

The Gambia Organisation for the Visually Impaired (GOVI) is the only blind school in the greater Banjul area. The institution for the blind operates as a special needs school which currently has 50 students; all of them, visually impaired.

According to the Executives Director of the school, Mr Lamine Colley, the institution provides complete sponsorship and scholarship packages for all its students which include all costs related to their education, transportation, school uniforms, feeding and other needs.

“The equipment for the visually impaired people is very expensive and their parents cannot afford them; GOVI provides them along with most of the resources needed for their education,” he said.

He also states that the government could do more to help the school, revealing that the only thing the government currently does is pay salaries for teachers and some support staff.

Colley regretted the fact that the school can only provide basic education due to lack of capacity, and also noted that it was high time The Gambia initiated the necessary policies, programmes and social protection measures to help and empower children with visual impairment.

Former visually impaired student of GOVI, Miss Fatima Joof, said discrimination was and is still the order of the day in the lives of visually impaired persons.

“For us discrimination was and it is still the order of the day, we have been left out in so many ways. GOVI is the only blind school in the country, and learning facilities should not have been a hindrance to our education.”

She added that the Government and power-holders in the country have a key instrument to fulfilling their rights, tackling discrimination and other issues they face, and running an inclusive effort to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all, without leaving people with disabilities behind.

In the same vein, Mr Bubacarr Sanneh, a former student at GOVI shared his experience, while attesting to the inadequate learning material when he was still a student there.

“My experience in GOVI was a good one. Despite the lack of adequate modern learning facilities for the blind, the school was like home to me and many of my fellow visually impaired colleagues.

It was not only an academic institution for us but we were able to have a good relationship amongst ourselves as well as our teachers.”

Mr Sanneh is currently at MDI studying Diplomacy and International Relations. He said there is a need for government to do more, confirming that he had gone through discrimination while in high school.

“There was the lesser special treatment accorded to me during my days in high school as a student, despite the little support from the Government and philanthropies, I feel there is a need for more. We suffer inadequate learning materials such as textbooks that are written in braille, which really make our learning stressful. Subjects like science and science-related subjects in most cases the questions are not blind-friendly and these are questions that carry more marks which sometimes result to a gap between us and our fellow students in the Schools.”

Babucar is also visually impaired, he laments the Disability Act and the need for implementation.

“The Government should note that passing the bill is just one step and now that we have passed that step, more efforts should be invested in implementation and advocacy to make the act popular and also to note that no one should be left behind, everyone should be involved, and provided for without discrimination.”

Binta Mendy, a grade five student at GOVI also lamented the paucity of required tools at the school.

“We cannot read and understand because our books are not written in braille. Writing is also very difficult for us because we do not have enough braille machines,” she said.

Mustapha Sanyang, another visually impaired student, believes vision is more than just the ability to see clearly.

“It is also the will to understand and respond to what is seen. I thus call on the government to assist us with braille machines to better our learning process.”

On the 6th of July 2021, The Gambia National Assembly passed the Persons with Disabilities Bill, announcing that President Adama Barrow had entered into force and thereby assented to the Bill on the 4th of August.

The Act provides for “the health care, social support, accessibility, rehabilitation, education and vocational training, communication, employment and work protection and promotion of basic rights for persons with disabilities and connected matters.”

This is a major step towards the fulfilment of the Gambia’s international obligation, especially to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the country ratified in July 2015.

The Gambia, having signed and ratified the convention, bears the responsibility of ensuring the “full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for persons with disabilities” in Gambia without discrimination, including by “modify[ing] or abolish[ing] existing laws, regulations, customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities.”

The State is further required by the convention to “prohibit all discrimination on the basis of disability and guarantee equal and effective legal protection against discrimination on all grounds”.

Despite the guarantees of this Convention and the Gambian Constitution of 1997, which states that “all persons shall be equal before the law,” people with disabilities continue to face numerous barriers to their full inclusion and participation in the life of their communities in the Gambia.

The Disability Act is said to be a key step toward greater inclusion in society. This is however not the case in GOVI.

By: Modou Touray

Commuters around Brusubi Turntable junction have raised concerns over what they called “frequently alarming incidents of pickpocketing at night.”

Pickpocketing involves the stealing of money or other valuables from people’s pockets, bags, purses, etc without them noticing.

To delve into the act and victims’ experience, The Fatu Network engaged commuters who ply the junction and its environs at night.

Biram Fye usually closes late and uses the Brusubi Turntable route to go home.

“I work at Senegambia but normally close late at night. I exchange shift with my colleagues. I remember a particular day when people were struggling to get vehicle. As soon as I entered the vehicle, I realized that my wallet had been stolen,” he narrated.

Brusubi turntable is a busy area where commuters heading to different destinations converge.

Lamin Sima works as a cook at a local hotel. He confirmed being victimized by pickpockets.

“They took my phone, but I only noticed it after getting home. I tried calling the phone, but it was switched off. My phone was costly, and it took me a while to buy another one,” Lamin Sima said.

Ndey Fofana is a businesswoman who also shared her experience with a pick pocketer after she had cashed out money from the ATM machine, put the money in in her bag and was heading to board a taxi to Senegambia.

“The man who was sitting next to me took my wallet from my handbag. It was dark and I was also talking to someone on the phone. He took the chance because I wasn’t concentrating.”

Also, pickpockets sometimes stand around ATMs or cash registers and watch where people put their money.

They are also common in car parks and markets, especially when people are scrambling for vehicles.

Pickpockets are drawn to people who look lost, confused or distracted. People who seem not sure of themselves and aware of their surroundings are mostly attractive targets. Remember, most pickpockets are cautious thieves who want to avoid confrontation

“For the first time in my life, I saw a well-dressed man in nice suit trying to open my handbag, when I realized it, I looked at him and he dropped off from the vehicle. I could not talk because he looked very gentle and old enough to be my father,” Ramu sohna recalled.

Traveling or walking around at night is risky, especially in dark areas. However, Ebrima Manneh noted that such actions of pickpockets will not stop them from going to work at night, especially those who are on night shift or those who close late.

“The fear of pickpocketing cannot make us stop traveling at night because we go to work and run other errands. The most important thing is to be sensitive to thieves,” he advised.

Bakary Dumbuya suggested that people should avoid travelling alone at night.

Pickpocketing is a criminal act and those caught in the act most often attract angry violent reactions from people.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

One Alpha Barry who is standing trial at the Kanifing Magistrate Court, having been allegedly found in possession of a stolen mobile phone, has finally opened his defence barely a week after he refused to do so.

On the 10th of August 2022, the accused refused to open his defence after the prosecution closed its case, saying “I will not do what you are asking me to do. I don’t do such things.”

His refusal to open his defence led to the adjournment of the case to the 18th of August 2022.

Just like the other day, the accused was told on Thursday, the 18th, that he has options before he began his defence.

He could choose to remain mute, take an oath and give his evidence after which he would be cross-examined, or give his evidence without taking an oath where he would not be cross-examined. He chose to take the oath and give evidence.

In his testimony, the accused said he was heading to Serekunda from Nema to buy dinner around 12 am to 1 am because he could not find dinner at Nema at that time of the morning.

“Then I found a phone on the ground and picked it. I went to the police station, there was an accident; then an officer came and told me he would need to search me.

“He searched me and found a phone with me and said he suspected the phone was stolen. I spent the night at the police station and I was taken to the CID the following day. They pushed my case to the prosecution. That is how they brought me to court,” Alpha Barry narrated.

The accused said after picking up the phone, he was expecting that if there was a sim card, the person would have called the phone and he would have returned it.

The said phone is marked “Winko” but the value is unknown.

The accused has no witness to call in his defence. The case was adjourned to the 31st of August 2022 for judgment.

By Alimatou S. Bajinka

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of TAF Africa Global, Mustapha Njie, has said the Gambia’s source of conflict in recent times has been “land issues.”

“The sources of conflict in this country in recent days is due to land issues. This is because the Gambia is ranked 8th as the most densely populated country in Africa at about 176 people per square kilometre compared to Senegal, which is 19^th; this is to show that we are very densely populated,” Njie said on The Fatu Network’s Giss Giss show.

Mr Njie said the Ministry of Local Government and Lands is responsible for housing in the country but has no time for housing. He urged the government to look into breaking down the Ministry into two.

The TAF Global CEO said the Lands Ministry is very technical as it includes housing, development control, lands etc. The real estate mogul said the other wings of the ministry, which include chiefs and ‘alkalos’ are political.

“So all these issues are a result of people not having where to live; that is why there is push and pulls about lands everywhere. This is because people no longer have a place to live.

“Let’s urged the government to look into splitting the Ministry of Local Governments, Lands and Religious Affairs into two and put competent people in the Lands Ministry who are technicians and people who know the job. So that those people can work with Social Security because we are the ones paying. They are investing in ventures that have nothing to do with their mandates,” Mr Njie said.

By: Hadram Hydara

Cadet ASP Binta Njie has confirmed her appointment as the new police PRO. She takes over from Lamin Njie.

The Fatu Network contacted Binta Njie with regard to her appointment, however, she said the office is yet to be formally handed over to her, but once that is sorted out, she will engage the media.

Meanwhile, former police PRO, Lamin Njie, has been redeployed to the Community Policing Unit. Lamin confirmed both his redeployment and Binta’s appointment as PRO.

“Yes, the news is true. Binta is taking over as PRO. I have been redeployed to the Community Policing Unit,” the former Police PRO told the Fatu Network.

The new police PRO, who becomes the first female to occupy the position, is the first cousin of the renowned broadcast journalist, Fatu Camara.

By: Haddy Ceesay

Recent flash floods, in many communities in The Gambia, destroyed several homes and rendered hundreds homeless and vulnerable. Since the occurrence, there has been stagnant water in the affected areas.

According to an inconclusive results of laboratory tests conducted by the Health Ministry, the stagnant flood waters are contaminated with bacteria which causes diarrhea in children.

Dr Mustapha Bittaye, Director of Health at the Ministry of Health, told this medium that the test is inconclusive, but disclosed that they have already found bacteria that causes diarrhea.

“We sent some samples to Dakar, Senegal for toxicological studies and other related matters. So far, we have got a lot of samples showing bacteria which causes diarrhea in children,” he said

Dr Bittaye explained some precautionary measures in preventing diarrhea.

“You should wash your hands before preparing meal or after using the rest room. Not washing your hands is unhealthy because bacteria are very small.”

Dr Bittaye advised parents to take their sick children, who show symptoms of diarrhea, to the nearest hospital without delay.

He reiterated that people should be washing their hands regularly with soap and water, especially before preparing or eating food and after using the toilet.

He noted that adhering to such hygiene practices can prevent someone from contracting many infections or diseases.

The Director of Health urged parents not to allow their children enter or play in stagnant waters, emphasizing that the waters are contaminated.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Gambian first Division League Champions, Hawks FC, are divided on which camp to support ahead of the Gambia Football Federation Presidential election as two executive members of the team are up for different positions in the two camps jostling for supremacy at the country’s football house on August 27th.

The club’s General Secretary Sadibou Kamaso is leading Team Restore Confidence as its presidential candidate whiles Vice President Momodou Musa Njie is a co-opted member of Team Kaba’s executive, a situation that created a fissure in the team and warranted a temporal partial suspension to both Sadibou Kamado and Modou Musa Njie from the administrative affairs of the club.

In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, the President of Hawks, James Gomez, confirmed that, as of now, both Kamaso and Njie are not playing a role in the executive functions of the club.

The former minister said that he is the only one doing all the official correspondence of the club because they didn’t want Sadibo Kamaso to sign anything that the club may not want.

When the retired politician was quizzed about why Sadibou Kamaso is not doing his work as the General Secretary of Hawks FC, he explained:

“Because when I have a divided house and I want to keep it in order, I as the President, I have to take certain decisions. That is why I suspended his signature because if he signs something for the club now, which we don’t know, it will create more problems. I have to be very careful now. I am the one signing every letter for Hawks”.

He confirmed to TFN that both Sadibou and Modou Musa Njie have no roles to play in the team.

“They both have no roles to play. I am the one doing all. When you go to my table now, you will find the files there. I am the one responsible for the club now until we put our house in order. This is not good for us to have one party here and the other there,” he pointed out.

The Hawks FC President, however, admitted that withholding Kamaso’s responsibilities from him at the club is bad for him in his bid to become the leader of the country’s football governing body, but maintained that he has to preserve what the club is built on since its inception.

According to him, Sadibou Kamaso announced his bid for the presidency to the public before informing the leadership of the club. He told TFN that he was the one who advised Sadibou to formally write to the club. However, he said Sadibou eventually did, but the timing was too late to prevent the division. He went further to assert that Hawks may not even vote in the August 27th GFF presidential election.

Gomez, the only living founding father of Hawks, said that there is room for the club to settle disputes and that he will not disclose their internal problems to the media.

Hawks FC is the champions of the Gambia Football Federation Division One League and they have registered to take part in the CAF Club Champions League preliminary rounds.