By Lamin Njie
Hundreds of Seckens were forced to flee the country following the death of their leader Serign Ndigal, the TRRC has heard.
The Seckens of Kerr Mot Ali in Upper Saloum faced persecution on a grand scale after their scholar Serign Ndigal discovered a new version of Islam which involved not praying.
Serign Ndigal was a respected Islamic scholar who had at least 5000 followers.
He was the chief Serign (Marabout) in Kerr Mot Ali between 1998 and 2007, following the death of his father Basiru Secka.
In 2002, Serign Ndigal announced he had discovered a new version of Islam which involved not praying.
Yunusa Ceesay who was one of Serign Ndigal’s students appeared before the TRRC on Wednesday and detailed how the Seckens of The Gambia were forced to flee the country following the death of their leader.
“It was his half-brothers who came to the village and said they wanted to renovate the mosque. We refused because we knew their intention – which was to take over the village,” Mr Ceesay told the TRRC, as he recollected events in 2009.
The half brothers who were from Senegal then left the village only for them to return with the governor of Central River Region, the chief and the national assembly member of Upper Saloum. They apparently were accompanied by police.
“The people were then forced to pledge allegiance to the half brother Sheikh Alieu. Anyone who refuses is beaten,” Mr Ceesay said.
“Some were given axes to cut down trees as part of construction of a house for the man who was brought from Senegal.”
Serign Ndigal was arrested by the Gambia government at least twice. He had once visited Serrekunda on a dental mission only for him to be arrested because a lot of his followers accompanied him.
“They said he didn’t have a permit,” Mr Ceesay told the TRRC.
The new religious leader from Senegal always had the support of the Gambia government. Police were always in the village. Residents who refused to follow the new Serign were allegedly arrested and taken to the police station and allegedly beaten. Women were allegedly raped.
The Seckens of Kerr Mot Ali were also allegedly beaten and forced to pray when arrested and taken to the police station, and in 2009, they fled to Senegal.
“There were 81 compounds and so hundreds of people fled,” Mr Ceesay told the TRRC.
