By Lamin Njie
Former governor of Central River Region Ganyi Touray has denied participation in acts of brutality meted out to the Seckens of The Gambia.
The Seckens of Ker Mot Ali were forcefully removed from The Gambia following the death of their leader Serign Ndigal. It came after they renounced the five daily action prayers.
A students of Serign Ndigal told the TRRC last week it was Ganyi Touray, the governor of CRR, who fronting their attempted extinction. The incident happened in 2009.
Ganyi Touray was given a chance to respond to the allegations when he appeared before the TRRC on Thursday. His testimony was however cagey one.
Essa Faal clashed with Mr Touray in a number occasions in which the latter would appear to say one thing and then another.
In one instance, the 70-year-old said the police did not take orders from him when they stormed Ker Mot Ali. Essa Faal then played a video showing the former governor inside a mosque in Ker Mot Ali thanking police leaders in the region at the time for putting across all his instructions. Mr Touray then changed and said the police did take instructions from him.
Also, on the removal of the Seckens, Mr Touray in one instance said it targeted non-Gambians while his written statement made no indication of that.
At the end of it all, he declared while responding to whether he accepts personal responsibility in the state-sponsored terror against the Seckens: “No, I do not accept that.”
