Security sources have confirmed to Faturadio that the Imam of Kanifing South Mosque, Imam Alhagi Ousman Sawaneh has been transferred to the Janjanbureh Prison in The Central River Region. Held for our over a week now, Imam Sawaneh was picked up by operatives of The National Intelligence Agency on the pretext that he was urgently needed in Banjul. At the time of his arrest according to Foroyaa Newspaper, he was leading a team of volunteers that was clearing the grass in the Kanifing South Cemetery.
Security sources have also hinted that the Imam is being investigated on allegations that he does not support the ruling APRC and that he was among those who undermined the APRC candidate during a by-election in the Central River region (CRR) of the Gambia. Different people who spoke to Faturadio believe that the allegations do not make sense as the Imam is not involved in politics or any political activity.
Now that Imam Sawaneh is moved to Janjanbureh, his situation is being closely monitored before another disappearance without trace story is reported. Some other prominent people in his capacity who were arrested in the Gambia in similar circumstances are still unaccounted for. The government has repeated denied that it is holding them eventhough every evidence showed that they were arrested by state security agents. Imam Sawaneh’s case has now been officially reported to all international organizations to ensure that they continue to monitor his situation and to press for his release from illegal state custody.
