President Adama Barrow has said UDP turned to marabouts in the party’s desperate bid to avert its leader Darboe from being convicted.
Mr Darboe was jailed in 2016 after leading an illegal protest demanding the release of activist Ebrima Solo Sandeng.
President Barrow was then treasurer of UDP and speaking Wednesday, the president said their desperation saw them engage the services of marabouts.
The president told NPP reporters at State House: “To me, jailing them meant the end of the world and UDP’s end. Our people went there. But before going, in the night, people came to my house saying they were looking for me. Lamin Ceesay was part of them.
“When I came out, it was our people (UDP). They said a certain marabout said he would do something. [That] Ousainou Darboe would not be sentenced and anyone who sentences him would die in the courtroom. The marabout wanted I think 50,000 or 30,000.
“I told them I would not give my money for that. I told them the marabout acts we did was too many, where amulets are given to cemetery security men to place them under the heads of dead people. We did all that. I remember there was a day, it was three amulets, to place them under the heads of three dead people. We did all of that for Ousainou to be free.
“I told them we did all of that and it never succeed. I asked them if this man would be able to succeed, they said he said it and it would happen. I told them I had no money but they insisted I should borrow them money for them to go and do that. People in the diaspora called me pressuring me to give the money. I then gave the money and spoke with the marabout and told him I will make advance payment. But when they got to the marabout, the marabout told them he has abandoned killing anyone.”
