By: Dawda Baldeh
Modou Jassey, a former state guard and resident of Bundung, met his tragic death at Palma Rima Junction in Kololi along Batil Harding Highway.
He was found dead on a high voltage transformer in the afternoon hours of Wednesday 13th April, and his body was taken to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul by The Gambia Fire Rescue Services.
An eyewitness, Lamin Sima, a tourist Taxi driver at Palma Rima Beach explained to the Fatu Network.
“I was sitting outside when a woman came to tell me that someone is on top of the high voltage wires. I rushed there and found that it was Soldier (the disease nicknamed) who had been shocked by the high voltage wires. I wanted to climb up, but my colleagues told me it was not safe.”
“At that time, he was struggling to escape from the wires but, unfortunately we could not do anything to help. NAWEC workers were passing by, so we stopped and informed them about the incident. They told us that they could not do anything if the high voltage was not switched off.”
Ahmed Jassey, the father of the disease said his son was a state guard who was mentally sick, adding that he had been receiving treatment in various places. He said the incident leading to the death of his son is shocking to him and the family.
“He was a state guard soldier, but he was mentally sick for over three years. These days, I was trying the State Guards to help me arret him so that I could take him for healing. This is because I have no power to control him. The state guards I asked to help me get hold of him told me that they would take him to their hospital for treatment.”
“But today I received a call from the shopkeeper where he normally collected food, informing me that my son had come in contact with high voltage electricity and had lost his life. This is very shocking to me and the family,” Ahmed Jassey lamented.
Pierre Silver, the Public Relation Officer of NAWEC described the incident as shocking and advised people to be vigilant and avoid going closer to NAWEC transformers.
An eyewitness who chose to remain anonymous blamed the incident on government for not taking care of the former soldier who was serving the nation prior to his mental illness.
