By Madi Jobarteh
Soon after the Gambia hosted the AU Summit in July 2006 thugs from the NIA arrested Daily Observer reporter Chief Ebrima Manneh. Since then the APRC Government continued to swear that they do not have Chief Manneh in their custody when all evidence point to the contrary. Yaya Jammeh and his Cabinet members as well as the APRC NAMs took every step to refuse responsibility until today about the life of this innocent young Gambian man.
The first time Yaya Jammeh talked about the issue was in 2011 during his so-called dialogue with the chiefs. He swore that his government had nothing to do with the enforced disappearance of Chief Manneh. This was followed several months later when his evil Vice President, the Jezebel of the Gambia Isatou Njie Saidy also vehemently denied knowing anything about Chief Manneh.
Before all of that it was then Minister of Justice Marie Saine Firdaus who told the APRC-dominated National Assembly in 2009 that Chief Manneh was not in the custody of the government. To add insult to injury, this lady who was my childhood friend from a very good home with good parents in Bakau, betrayed God and Country when she flatly denied that Government had any knowledge regarding Chief Manneh’s whereabouts.
Marie Saine told the NAMs that she had enquired from the Director General of the NIA, the Inspector General of Police, and the Commissioner of Prisons, and to the best of their knowledge, information and belief, Chief Manneh was not in their custody. How could they be so wicked and callous! The APRC Government did not just stop there but even went further to devise schemes to stop the ECOWAS Court from hearing this matter when it was brought before them in 2008 by the Media Foundation for West Africa based in Accra, Ghana.
As if that was not enough, the then Minister of Justice Edu Gomez, the Scum of Gambian Lawyers also told the Daily Observer in October 2011 that in fact Chief Manneh was alive which he knew with a high degree of certainty. Edu Gomez, without shame or fear said Chief Manneh was ‘alive somewhere’, yet he refused to disclose the place. And then in 2012, the current IGP Yankuba Sonko also told The Standard newspaper that Interpol had indicated to them that Chief Ebrima Manneh arrived in America, but he also did not give details. How can Chief Manneh be in the US or alive somewhere yet refused to contact his family at home? LIES!
Going through these conflicting stories it is very clear that Yaya Jammeh and his Ministers and thugs were lying through their teeth about the life of a Gambian citizen. If the stories by the APRC Regime were true how come since 2006 when Chief Manneh was kidnapped he has not until today sent a single message to his family that he is alive? If Chief Manneh was alive in the United States or anywhere in the world, it is clear that by now the online radio stations would have got in touch with him as it has happened to those people who escaped alive.
The greatest responsibility was therefore on the heads of the NAMs to make sure they defend and protect the rights and life of each and every Gambian. But true to their nature, the members of the APRC National Assembly instead stood with Yaya Jammeh and his thugs on every inch of the way to cover up the murder of this young man. In fact Marie Saine gave that false answer to the National Assembly simply because it was the UDP’s Momodou Lamin Sanneh, NAM for Kiang West who raised the question. But his APRC colleagues never raised a question or followed the matter even though they formed the majority.
One would expect that the APRC NAMs would call for an independent investigation or a parliamentary enquiry as we see in other democracies just to make sure they stand for and with Gambians. But these APRC NAMs did not only fail to stand for and with Gambia, rather went ahead to join and defend a criminal gang to directly and mercilessly destroy the rights and lives of Gambian citizens.
If we therefore reach this stage, which Gambian, who is a legitimate son and daughter of this land; which Gambian who is a patriotic son and daughter of this land; which Gambian who truly believes in God and upholds the good norms and values of our culture would stand with and vote for APRC. If you vote for APRC it means you have killed Chief Manneh.
In 2008 the ECOWAS Court finally ruled that the APRC Government release Chief Manneh and compensate him one hundred thousand US dollars (US$100, 000). Until today the APRC Dictatorship refused to honour this ruling. I therefore call on the Barrow Administration to launch fresh and highly independent investigation on tis matter with help from international actors if need be. Secondly the Barrow Administration must pay this compensation to the family of Chief Manneh because it was a ruling imposed on the Gambia based on our commitments within ECOWAS.
More to come…
God Bless The Gambia.
