Yankuba Badjie, the director of the notorious former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) now renamed as State Intelligence Services (SIS) has been fired, The Fatu Network has confirmed.
He is been replaced by one Musa Dibba, who earlier in 1993, joined the NIA until in 1996, when he went to the U.K. to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Upon return, he was appointed director of Administration at the NIA, until he was arrested and detained in 2006. He was reinstated when Numo Kujabi became the Director General in 2009. He later became Deputy Director in 2011 until he was fired again in 2014.
The removal of Badjie comes a day after the agency was renamed as State Intelligence Agency on Tuesday and subsequent rumors that Badjie was working his way out of the country and speaking to people closed to him to help him out as soon as possible, possibly to Mauritanian where one of his relative (Aunty) is currently residing.
Badjie headed the feared and deadly secret agency empowered by former President Yahya Jammeh in his 22 dictatorial rule of The Gambia. He is a witnessed to many atrocities committed in that agency under former President Jammeh.
The NIA are involved in all state-directed arrests, tortures and disappearances and mysterious killings were the order of the day as former President Yahya Jammeh used them to arrest and torture to death many people during his 22 years in power.
Throughout his presidency, arbitrary arrests and detentions increased on daily basis and NIA agents continued to harass and mistreat people especially opposition members, journalists, activists and civilians in general.
In past days, it was reported that Badjie and his team has destroyed important evidences at the NIA which could implicate them when Truth and Reconciliation Commission begins.
It is very important for the authorities to keep an eye on Badjie and many others who where involved in executing dirty activities for former President Jammeh, before they flee out of the country.
Meanwhile, many other officers who where in Jammeh’s killing gang called the ‘junglers’, have started fleeing out of the country. Serial killer Sanna Manjang is on the run, Sulayman Sambou, who tortured to death the UDP’s member Solo Sandeng is also on the run.
The Senegalese authorities at the Gambia-Senegal border have also confirmed the arrest of Bora Colley, a one time head of the notorious Mile II prisons and commander of the ‘junglers’ who was also on the run.
