By: Alieu Jallow
The National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala district, Almameh Gibba, has called for the arrest of Dr. Babanding Daffeh, a gynecologist he alleges is responsible for the illegal stitching of Kumba Sinyan.
Dr. Daffeh, who works at Kanifing General Hospital (KGH), was among the guests invited for a consultative meeting with the National Assembly Joint Committee on Health and Gender regarding the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024. During this meeting, he presented evidence to lawmakers in Banjul showing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C).
Gibba claims that Dr. Daffeh, the professional gynecologist who opposed the recently rejected Women’s Amendment Bill 2024 aiming to repeal the ban on FGM/C, violated the law by stitching Kumba Sinyan. Sinyan is currently on trial for the murder of her late boyfriend, Lamarana Jallow. Gibba has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the police force, and the Minister of Justice to investigate Dr. Daffeh to uncover other unreported cases of illegal stitching performed on young women.
“Kumba, in her testimony, said that Dr. Daffeh didn’t do it to her alone. Her friend Mariama Simo was also stitched. If the police, the IGP, and the Minister of Justice investigate this, I am sure there will be more than just two cases. Should this be happening at all? Dr. Daffeh vehemently opposed the law in the committee at the National Assembly. Go on YouTube, and you will see his testimony with empirical evidence. Yet, he is stitching young women in a government hospital while serving the Gambian people and earning money from other services,” Gibba criticized.
The parliamentarian, frustrated by the decision to uphold the ban on FGM/C, called for a thorough investigation into the fees Dr. Daffeh charged for stitching young women, ensuring that the payments were made to the government, and an audit of all receipts provided to his patients.
“Kumba said she got a receipt but lost it. Let’s see what type of receipt that was. She provided a prescription to show how determined people are to hide the truth. So today, you use your position for monetary gain while our ancestors and great nyansimbas sought nothing from this practice. We are vindicated. It is clear now that we are pushing for this, and we are calling loud and clear for Dr. Daffeh’s arrest. Kumba Sinyan testified in court three days ago, and if it were false, Dr. Daffeh would have come out to debunk it. Since he hasn’t, we demand his arrest,” he emphasized.
Gibba condemned any attempts to ignore Dr. Daffeh’s arrest, stating that failure to do so would show bias. He assured that they are prepared to defend their position and bear the costs, emphasizing that no intimidation would deter them. He noted that stitching is not in accordance with the Women’s Act 2015 and is becoming a norm in government hospitals. Gibba called on activists to follow Dr. Daffeh’s case, similar to the case of an 80-year-old woman who was prosecuted.
