By Dawda Baldeh
At the ongoing Regional Youth Congress in Basse, chaos erupted following the arrest of one Omar Drammeh, a Cannon Youth Development Association representative who also serves as a congress delegate.
Drammeh, who also serves as the chairperson of Activista URR, was arrested following an altercation that erupted overnight due to alleged election irregularities by the National Youth Council and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He condemned what he described as an unlawful arrest, physical abuse, and torture that he endured at the hands of security forces during the Basse NYC congress on Saturday.
“I was arrested, tortured, and maltreated after speaking out against election malpractice involving local registered youth groups,” Mr. Drammeh said.
Drammeh’s arrest was connected to the chaos that erupted during the congress as various delegates raised alarms regarding serious irregularities in the ongoing youth electoral process.
In a statement obtained by The Fatu Network, Drammeh claimed that some youth groups forged certificates to participate in the congress oversight by the National Youth Council and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
According to him, the exposure of these irregularities is backed by “verifiable documentation” and told the NYC that the congress cannot proceed if the 26 flagged certificates are accepted to vote.
“During this push and pull, the PIU Commander intervened and made a final decision that the congress shall be conducted whether we like it or not.
“I interjected his speech and to him that we were not listening. Immediately after speaking, I was subjected to an arrest without any crime,” he said.
He added: “I was physically assaulted and tortured while I was taken out of the hall to police custody.”
A video clip obtained by The Fatu Network shows how PIU officers forcefully arrested Drammeh and put him behind a pickup truck.
“They used their baton to hit my head multiple times, dragged me on the floor to the vehicle, strangled my neck, and even put their hands inside my underwear,” Drammeh recounted.
He condemned these actions as a blatant violation of human rights and an attack on democratic principles, including freedom of expression and the right to participate in transparent governance processes.
“Despite the gravity of the fraud, the final decision by the authorities allowed 14 of those individuals to proceed and vote, while 12 were disqualified,” he revealed.
According to a post on Basse Multimedia, Drammeh was charged with prohibition of conduct conducive to breach of peace and was later released on bail.
However, The Fatu Network couldn’t obtain a comment from the police by the time of this publication.
