Countinuing his testimony in the ongoing trial involving two former GambiaCollege lecturers namely, Lamin B.T. Sanyang and Ablie Baldeh, Dr Alieu Badara Senghorr, principal of the  College, has revealed the circumstances leading to the termination of services of the accused persons from the said college.

In  his testimony yesterday before Magistrate Lamin George of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, Mr Senghorr told the court that he had indicated in his letter sent to the 1st accused Lamin BT Sanyang that he his going to stop his teaching allowance and forward the matter to the college council for appropriate action. He said another incident regarding Mr Sanyang is the article he wrote in one of the national newspaper discussing issues of concern to the college and to the Department of State for Education. “ I wrote to him that as a civil servant he should not write directly to the media without clearance from his head of department and was warned to desist from such practise,”  he stated. He added that he received a complaint from the head of School of Education reporting a certain member of staff of lack of co-operation and dalliance in submission of questions for examination, stating that during that same examination period a case of examination leakage was reported to him. “ I set up an investigation committee, headed by the then vice principal, to investigate examination leakage and the whole examination process,” he adduced.

Further testifying Mr Senghorr told the court that in a committee report they indicated that the accused persons together with one Mr Omaga are very un co-operative and disruptive during  the examination process. He said the committee recommended that they be warned and advised to improve their behaviour and conduct and were written to with sternd warning. He adduced that he continued to receive complaints from the head of School of Education about late submission of marks by Mr Sanyang, adducing that he reported all these transgressions to the chairman of The Gambia College Council. He said he was also instructed to write to the chairperson of GambiaCollege sub-committee on discipline and he complied all the correpondence between the college administration and Mr. Sanyang. It will be recalled that the accused persons were alleged to have written to the office of the president of alleged malpractice’s conducted by both the Principal of The Gambia College and Head of School of Education and the unlawful termination their services at the college.

The case was at length adjourned to 18th September 2008.

I am dedicating this July 22nd. Special Piece to Marcus Garvey the first unofficial president of the Federated United States of Africa (FUSA), who was 100yrs ahead of his time.

 White folks way back when he was on his supersonic project for Africa-Mission of Repatriation knew what substance he was made up of and decided to frustrate him by legislating against his progress and dreams.

It is also dedicated to the Honorable Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who dedicated all his life and time for the emancipation, liberation and unification of Africa. May their departed souls rest in perfect peace, Amen!!  On a final dedication of this august piece it is penciled and penned for His Excellency Dr. Yaya Jammeh who made this day possible.

The embodiment of Garvey in his life and struggle for Black people and Africa, in Nkrumah for his rhetoric and writings to free Africa and Africans mentally, are all present in President in Jammeh. Jammeh is bacon of hope, pride, fulfillment and a revelation to Africa and all Africans.

Dissection of Comments

Having closely considered the recent revelation on the presence and activities of people of the Shia Islamic sect in The Gambia and the recommendations put forth by the Islamic conference responsible for such insightful comments, I feel duty-bound as a concerned Muslim to pen a word or two, especially as the comments made by one of the panelists at the Talinding conference, Imam Abdoulie Fatty, have attracted thinly-veneered vitriol from Baba Leigh, the Imam of Kanifing East.

From the outset, it is pertinent to recapitulate what Imam Fatty is reported to have said at the conference. According to the news item on the conference, Imam Fatty and other learned Islamic scholars have alerted people about the recent intensification of activities by followers of the Shia sect, which is allegedly seeking to “convert” other Muslims outside its fold. Of perhaps greater significance, Imam Fatty’s remarks also touched on the foundation and doctrine of the Shia sect, a conspicuous feature of which is the apparent disregard and lack of recognition for the exalted position of the other three Khaliphs, eminent leaders of the Islamic Ummah in the first century after the demise of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad [peace and blessing of Allah (SAW) be upon him]- hence Imam Fatty’s call for Muslims to be wary of the designs of Shia missionaries and their henchmen who he said should not be welcomed.

On the other hand, Imam Baba Leigh has used arguments of tolerance and the need for the unity of the Islamic Ummah in spite of, in his words, “so called religious differences”. He made reference to the age-old presence of people of Lebanese origin and the immense contribution they have been making to the socio-economic advancement of The Gambia. Aside from the emphasis Imam Leigh placed on then material benefits forthcoming from our brothers and sisters of Lebanese origin (all of whom, I dare say, are not Shias), he has for reasons best known to himself avoided making reference to the root cause of the rift between Sunni and Shia sects of Islam-the dishonour of the three great Khaliphs before Khaliph Ali (peace be upon them). What people of my ilk would have expected Mr Leigh to clarify is whether or not it is not against Islamic proprieties to disrespect any one Khaliph in favour of another; whether or not the uncanny audacity to do so is not more likely to antagonise a greater part of the Muslim brotherhood and therefore sow the seeds of discord. But not some feeble defence he has attempted to put up in saying that he is not being bankrolled by any and taking on the mantle of a pious peacemaker! It is important for all to understand that whatever one might say of oneself is not half as important as what society may perceive of him as a result of his conduct or pronouncements. In that light, I believe, it is the substance of Mr.Leigh’s pronouncements in his piece that will, in the final analysis, dictate people’s conception of his motive and not his claim of not being bankrolled by anybody.

Incidentally, if tolerance in religion consists in allowing people to practise their religion without persecution or violence of any kind on account of their faith, I believe that Imam Leigh’s attempt to invoke constitutional provisions on tolerance is misplaced as Imam Fatty’s suggestion to Gambians not to welcome Shias is not a call to arms for what it is worth. I could even remember Sheikh Gibril Kujabi saying at the conference that so far as they do not attempt to interfere with the religious ignorance of a good few of Gambian Muslims by trying to convert them, the Shia followers might carry out any development project beneficial to The Gambians as spreading a belief and bringing about development can be mutually exclusive.

Having stated the foregoing, let me conclude by noting that in matters of religion chicanery or glib comments may glitter for some time but they do not crystallise at the end of the day for they soon dissipate and scatter into oblivion because they proceed from dubious motives.

Startling revelations were recently made at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court as trial proceedings in the murder of a London Corner youth got underway.

Sheriff Minteh, 22, was allegedly murdered in cold-blood in May of this year. His death had caused pandemonium in the commercial district of Serekunda with angry youths barricading the streets with burning tyres and chanting slogans.

Hearing of testimonies has now begun in the trial over the murder of the youth after a long hiatus.

Momodou Musa Ceesay, an employee of Mansea Beach Hotel, said he had closed from work on the day in question when he encountered some security personnel in the cover of darkness.

“As I reached a certain junction, I heard a voice saying ‘you have stabbed me’. The statement was repeated for another time but by then a small crowd of people have already gathered at the scene,” Ceesay testified.

Meanwhile, the second prosecution witness had told the court that following the ‘killing’ of Sheriff Minteh, the accused, Doudou Janneh, was exposed to a degree of mob justice before being handed over to the security men that came to effect his arrest.

It could be recalled that Doudou Janneh alias Doudou Boy was sometime this year arraigned at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of Sheriff Minteh in a night drug police raid.

The case continues.

The ongoing trial of the alleged MFDC rebels has heard fresh revelation as another trial within trial on the cautionary statements of the 8th and 3rd accused persons, Abdou Salam Jammeh and Nuha Jammeh respectively has been precipitated.

Testifying on the trial within trial, detective Amadou Sanyang stated that he was part of the panel that questioned Abdou Salam Jammeh and Nuha Jammeh. He adduced that the 8th accused person, Abdou Salam Jammeh, appeared on three occasions before the panel, where he was asked a number of questions, of which he answered some and failed to answer others. Detective Sanyang further adduced that the accused informed the panel that the Senegalese government had given them many vehicles and air tickets, and 50m CFA to facilitate the travel of their relatives to Mecca and Rome.

Detective Sanyang further revealed that the accused, Abdou Salam Jammeh, also informed the panel that he was the one who went to Sierra Leone to buy arms and ammunition, but that the ship in which the items were being freighted sank along the coast of Guinea.

He said the accused gave his statements freely and willingly without any force, adding that the accused in fact wrote his own statement in the presence of Tijan Bah, an independent witness.

Still testifying, Detective Sanyang stated that the 3rd accused, Nuha Jammeh, appeared twice before the panel, which asked him questions as well. He said that during the interrogation the accused revealed that he was the financial officer of the group of five, confirming that they had been allocated a 3m CFA per month subvention from the Senegalese government through one Latif Hydara in the presence of an official from the Senegalese embassy in Banjul. He said that after the interrogation, the accused gave his statement freely and willingly without any force or threats in the presence of Tijan Bah, an independent witness.

Hearing was at that point adjourned to 5th December 2007.

Prosecution Witness 7 yesterday made a startling revelation before Magistrate B. Y. Camara of the Banjul Magistrates Court during the ongoing the trial of David Colley, former Director of Prisons.

In his testimony, Edrissa Camara, prosecution witness 7, told the court that he is a prison officer and he knows the accused, David Colley. He testified that in 2006, the accused instructed him to use a ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ tractor to fetch water for use on the accused’s farm. He said he was further instructed to allow the use of the tractor to any officer who could buy fuel.

PW 7 further told the court that the accused also instructed him to use the tractor for collecting sand and to even provide similar services to interested people on commercial basis and hand over the proceeds to the accused. He adduced that he collected gravel from Bafuloto and took it to various locations for members of the public. He stated that a trip of sand cost between D200 to D300, while the gravel trip cost D200.

The witness disclosed that he started using the tractor for this purpose from 2006 up to the time the accused was arrested for the offence he is currently standing trial.

He further testified that all the proceeds he realised from the contract was surrendered to the accused, adding that a book he kept for entering the payments records a total of D26, 500.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Lawyer Antouman Gaye, the prosecution witness said that he is 30 years old. He said he got enlisted into the prison service in 2004 and that he ranked as a Private Prison Officer. He said he never tells lies and that all what he said in court was the truth.

Hearing continues on 6th September 2007.