By Our Western Divison Correspondent Wise Man
Paid for and Commissioned by the Freedom Newspaper.
Paid for and Commissioned by the Freedom Newspaper.
Three security officers including Sgt Buba Jammeh, Staff Sgt Mendy and Baba Saho have been reportedly released following their arrest and imprisonment since March 2006 and so far the officers are facing no charges for involvement in any alleged coup plot or any other offence including subscribing to the Freedom Newspaper. President Jammeh’s government has accused some of the arrested persons as ‘coup plotters’ and the subscribers are ‘mere informers’ to the paper.However, it has been confirmed by relatives that Sgt Buba Jammeh of the State Guard, a resident of Brikama Suma Kunda, and Staff Sgt Buba Mendy also of the State Guard and a resident of New Yundum and Baba Saho of the notorious National Intelligence Agency (NIA) well known for their brutality and cruelty have been released and told to return to duty after certain formalities.
On May 25 2006, The Gambia Police Force under the command of President Jammeh had summoned everyone whose name or names appeared in a list Published by the Daily Observer Newspaper falsely alleging that such subscribers were in fact informers to the paper.
As a result many innocent law abiding people were arrested detained and tortured by the security forces including three journalists two of them later released on 30 May. Malick Mboob, a former Daily Observer journalist now working for the government was among the arrested individuals.
Another journalist Lamin Cham, a correspondent for the BBC was also arrested in connection with a similar government allegations while Ebrima Chief manneh picked up by the NIA for no good reason and taken to various secret location where he is still held incommunicado .
The released officers according to sources received a joyous welcome by their various family members and friends but with mixed feelings as many are since questioning the reason or reasons behind such arrest and detention
Speaking to Freedom Newspaper, a close family member of Officer Buba Jammeh said: ‘I am still thanking God for his release and to see him alive. He spent more than one year in jail and there is no doubt he was tortured and had endured hardship’.
A brother to Baba Saho said: “this is unbelievable. Anyway God has answer to our prayers because my brother has done nothing wrong and his release is prove to that’.
A good friend to Buba Mendy said: ‘my friend is innocent. He is a good soldier and very loyal to President Yahya Jammeh and his Government. This is nonsense’.
Meanwhile Freedom Newspaper has been informed about the sudden released of Vincent Jatta, former Army Commander and according to sources he is re-united with his family.
END
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