By Lamin Sanyang
General Saul Badjie, former Commander of the Republican National Guard and close aide to former President Yahya Jammeh was also overseeing the Police Intervention Unit when Solo Sandeng and other protesters were arrested at Westfield.
Sources within the police blamed the Police Intervention Unit PIU known as ‘Paramilitary’ for the arrest of Solo Sandeng, the late UDP Youth Executive who was arrested and tortured to death in the custody of the then notorious National Intelligence Agency NIA.
“Why should they prosecute the NIA and not the police who arrested Solo Sandeng? There is no law that says the police should handover the offenders to the NIA,” a police source said.
According to this source the police have four primary functions: protection of lives and properties, maintenance of law and order, apprehension and prosecution of offenders and finally prevention and detection of crimes.
“The law says if somebody dies in custody a coroner inquiry must be established to ascertain the cause of death,” the source pointed out.
He added: “Exhuming bodies should be recommended by the coroner and any further trial must be recommended by the coroner.”
The police source argued that the due process of the law was not observed in this case.
Speaking to Inspector Foday Conta, Police Spokesperson, he confirmed to this medium that the arrest of Solo Sandeng and other Westfield protesters was carried out by the Police Intervention Unit under the command of General Saul Badjie, former Commander of republican national guard.
“General Saul Badjie was overseeing the Police Intervention Unit at that time,” Inspector Foday Conta disclosed.
Inspector Conta revealed that the former State Guard Commander and close aide of former President Yahya Jammeh who was also overseeing the Police Intervention Unit at the time gave the order to arrest the Westfield protesters. He could not acknowledged whether a coroner inquiry was established in the case of Solo Sandeng but said there should be one before exhuming the body. He said they are expecting pathologists who should be in the country to start working on the case.
The Police Spokesperson confirmed the ongoing investigation on the disappearance of citizens during the former regime but could not verified the reports whether the new Director General of NIA was coping with the police investigators. Sources inside the National Intelligence Agency said the Director General of NIA has still not provided the full list of those allegedly disappeared under the custody of the agency. He promised to find out from the authorities concern.
Meanwhile, the trial of former Director General of NIA and eight others on the murder of Solo Sandeng will resume on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.
