The Fatu Network has got irrefutable evidence from our credible sources within the security forces which suggest by all indications that, Sheriff Dibba, former Secretary General of The Gambia National Transport Association (GNTA), died as a result of severer systematic torture meted out to him while under the custody of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
A senior security official at the Office of the President and indeed other sources have provided to The Fatu network a compelling evidence of what appears like a state sanctioned murder of an innocent activist whose only crime was to defend the interest of his union members.
One of our reliable sources reading from Mr Dibba’s first cautionary statement made to the NIA but which the agency has still refused to make public reveals that in fact Sheriff Dibba together with the senior executives of the transport association were arrested after they wrote repeated letters to the Transport Ministry demanding that the government reduce the price of fuel to reflect the downward falling oil prices around the world.
Indeed even in the wake of low fuel prices in the World Market, Gambia government throughout 2014 and 2015 continued to increase pump prices of fuel as part of efforts to meet domestic revenue targets after the international community withheld grants and Balance of Payment Support to Gambia because of concerns over a whole lot of issues including lack of respect for human and fundamental rights.
After the government repeatedly snubbed the transport association over demands to reduce fuel prices, the GNTA finally wrote to the Police to demand a permit for a peaceful protest. The transport association was said to be unhappy with the pressure being exerted by the government to force commercial drivers to reduce transport fares when fuel prices were not reduced.
Thus the membership of the transport association agreed to go on a peaceful national strike. The Fatu Network has gathered that both the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Interior have rejected the application for a peaceful permit.
However, when Dictator Jammeh became aware of the demands by the GNTA, he ordered his dreaded NIA to arrest and subsequently charge the executive of economic crimes. It was found out that Mr Dibba as the Secretary General GNTA, authored the application letters for peaceful protest by the drivers sent out to the police and copied to the Ministry of Interior. This was more than enough justification by the NIA who accused Dibba of fermenting trouble in the country to put him on lengthy and severer torture sessions for more than two days.
Mr Dibba according to our most reliable sources was so brutally tortured on day three of his detention under NIA custody that when he returned back to his cell, he confided in some of his cell mates that he would be surprise to survive beyond a week.
Apparently the NIA after seeing that Dibba’s health condition was deteriorating faster than expected, he and other detained executive members of GNTA were hurriedly rushed to the Police Headquarters and then dumped them there.
Our credible sources have told The Fatu Network that at the time of their transfer to the Police Headquarters, the NIA knew that Dibba would not be able to survive the torture. “Fatu I want to tell you that the man could not even stand, he could not talk properly and his eyes were flat deep inside his skull,” one of our sources said.
In fact senior police officers were said to have been deeply angry by NIA’s move to dump an almost dead person with them. “I can tell you Fatu that when the IGP even saw Mr Dibba, he was so angry and even ordered the police not to put him in the cell because he was bleeding both internally and externally. The IGP also told the medics to place Dibba under constant surveillance because of his condition but unfortunately he died the following day 19h00,” said our credible source.
But The Gambia government, usual of its traits, through a deliberate attempt to cover-up, came up with their own version of the events saying Mr Dibba through an autopsy conducted on him has confirmed that he died of a chronic heart attack.
However, the latest evidence obtained by The Fatu Network shows that Mr Dibba died from brutal torture he suffered in the hands of Gambia’s notorious spy agency, the National intelligence Agency (NIA).
