His miraculous escapes out of Senegalese prisons have been the subject of debate and speculations with some even suggesting he has supernatural powers – this is the stuff of mystery movies. Modou Faal also known as Boy Djinneh (name alluding to his “magical powers”) escaped a record five times out of Senegalese prisons – Harry Houdini would have found a good show partner in this fellow. All his crimes were robbery related according to authorities.
But alas – his luck finally ran out in the neighboring Gambia where he chose as his final hideout after what was yet another daring escape from a prison in Diourbel, Senegal. Other prisons he outfoxed are located in “Kedugou, Zinguinchorr, Kolda, Reubeuss” according to the Gambia government mouthpiece, the DailyObserver. He was arrested by the Gambian Police after a tipoff from International Police Organization (Interpol) came in from Senegal giving his whereabouts detail as a guesthouse around Bakoteh/Serekunda area.
The Senegalese government was relieved at his arrest and wasted no time in putting in an extradition request to the Gambian authorities for his return to Senegal. Supposedly, he was therefore taken to court and awaiting extradition to Senegal – currently remanded with another guy in different cells but the shackles and handcuffs that were originally put on them have been taken out. He is being monitored and directives have been given that he should not be allowed to see a doctor in the event that he falls ill, this is to make sure that he does not escape.
So the Macky Sall regime in Senegal was shocked to find out that Boy Djinneh was instead charged with murder in the Gambia instead of the authorities in Banjul pursuing the extradition request. The question that everyone in Senegal is asking is: who did this guy kill and where did the murder take place? Because according to them, as far as they know, no murders occurred during Boy Djinneh’s crime spree and they are not pursuing him for anything related to murder.
Observers are equally baffled by the murder charge but not quite surprised at the direction – this after all is The Gambia where everything is done at the whims and caprices of one man – President Yahya Jammeh. Is this his ploy to play hardball with Macky in light of the current bad blood between the two? According to sources, two Senegalese nationals accused of murder were extradited to their homeland from the Gambia two years ago through Interpol, but this was when relations were good. In that case, the process did not even follow international protocol or extradition rules; it was done through a mutual assistance.
President Jammeh according to observers maybe trying to mix the proverbial “apples and oranges” again – he could be making such an insane and unjust move to use this case to extract concessions from Macky Sall. He has been lamenting the fact that the Senegalese authorities have been reluctant to cooperate in sending Gambians back from Senegal even after repeated requests from his regime. But these Gambians are running from persecution and human rights abuses being meted out on them by Jammeh himself – the two are therefore completely two unrelated, different matters. This move has signaled his reluctance to hand Boy Djinneh back to Senegal if Macky is not willing to hand people like Ben Jammeh, Sedia Bayo, and many others back to Gambia. He is in essence trying to blackmail Senegal by upping the ante by way of charging this guy with an even more serious crime – murder.
How Senegal will react to this illegal move by Jammeh is anyone’s guess, but if history is any indication, Macky Sall will not allow him to get it his way once again. Senegal after all is a country of laws and Macky cannot be seen to reciprocate in a scheme that is meant to put the lives of innocent people in danger. The chess game continues and the world is keenly watching.
