Yankuba Badjie, former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has said that his assets were frozen well before he was called to the Janneh Commission.
“I think I should be heard first before freezing my assets,” Yankuba told The Fatu Network.
The former Intelligence Chief who was under tight security from the State Central Prisons, felt his appearance before the Commission was a mere formality since the decision he said was taken well before he was heard.
“The NIA is not a financial institution,” he added.
Badjie who assumed office in 2014 was the 14th NIA Director General to serve under the former regime until his removal by President Barrow in February 2017. He was arrested along with eight intelligence officials for the alleged murder of Solo Sandeng. He has since denied the charges.
A well place government source informed The Fatu Network that D51 Millions Dalasi was contracted to the prosecution team headed by Antouman Gaye in the Solo Sandeng murder trial.
“What is the justification of spending all this money in one particular case when you have people who equally died or disappeared under previous Director Generals,” a government source said.
The NIA Headquarters was one of former President Yahya Jammeh’s most feared tortured centres for the past 22 years of his dictatorial regime. He made the premises a torture chamber to silent or humiliate his alleged opponents. He allegdely on many occasions ordered the Junglers to come over to torture detainees.
Yankuba Badjie prior to his appointment as Director General was reportedly detained and tortured on allegations of being an FBI Agent.
This is one of the reasons critics blamed the Barrow Government’s failure to shut down the NIA premises by making the place a crime scene. Many of these people believed there is tampering of evidences at the premises.
Badjie claimed to have saved many lives during detentions at the NIA. He mentioned the likes of Nuha Touray, former Secretary to Cabinet and Cherno Marenah, Solicitor General amongst others during the political impasse by transferring them to Janjangbureh.
A reliable NIA source told this medium that the most heinous crimes or secrets of the former President Jammeh were not written in documents. He felt the new government should have rely on the former NIA Director General to get some of those information.
“Very little was written in the files. The Big Man is not worried about that,” an NIA source revealed.
“The most serious ones are not written,” he added.
There are reports of unfair treatments given to the accused PIU Officers of the Faraba killings who are currently held at the PIU Headquarters whilst the NIA officers are kept at the Remand Wing of Mile 2 Prisons.
Superintendent David Kujabi, Police Spokesperson said the matter was decided by the court.
Meanwhile, the two cases are keenly followed by the public.
