Interior Minister Sonko & IGP Badjie Helped Abdoulie Kujabie Escape

-Echo Exclusive

By EBRIMA G. SANKAREH Editor-In-Chief

Unimpeachable sources from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) report that Gambia’s Interior Minister, Ousman Sonko and Inspector General of Police; -IGP Essa Badjie (a.k.a Jesus) facilitated the fleeing from justice of Abdoulie Kujabie former NIA Director General. Reveals our NIA insider, Kungkiling Tamala, “Sonko and Badjie even provided Kujabie the pocket money and transport that helped him elude the authorities in the case involving the stealing and selling of a vehicle by the late police Inspector, Manlafi Sanyang."

According to Tamala, during the investigations, Jesus who was Crime Management Co-ordinator (CMC) at the time, had visited Kujabie with a team of investigators and confronted him with Sanyang’s damning allegations that he had handed him D75, 000 Gambian Dalasis, proceeds from a stolen vehicle. Kujabie, reveals Tamala, confessed that while he was NIA Chief, Manlafi did hand him over the D75, 000 and that he spent it on pressing private matters. Jesus who had established a dubious distinction of being a corrupt and inept drug baron’s wheeler-dealer assured Kujabie that he was going to talk to Ousman Sonko so they would see how to help him flee before the erstwhile IGP Benedict Jammeh gets the information that he had confessed to taking the ill-gotten funds. According to Tamala, all junior investigators were threatened to keep mute lest they disappear like Marena and colleagues. Says Tamala, the mere invocation of a Marena type disappearance sent chills down the spines of all investigators and was sufficient enough a threat that nothing less that disaster was to be expected should Kujabie’s confession reach Ben Jammeh’s desk. “If Benedict Jammeh gets this news, he will arrest Kujabie and I will make sure that all of you will be in serious trouble” Jesus allegedly threatened the rank and file investigators. Says Tamala, no sooner had the investigators left Kujabie’s place than CMC Essa Badjie contacted Interior Minister Ousman Sonko and briefed him on their findings that interalia: “there was no doubt that a vehicle was sold out to one Alhagie Conteh at the price of D75, 000.00, that Inspector Manlafi Sanyang acted on instructions from Abdoulie Kujabie; that the money, D75, 000.00 was handed over to Abdoulie Kujabie; that the vehicle was not a government own but APRC/YDE. During investigations by the office of the IGP and NIA, Abdoulie Kujabie confirmed that he received the said D75, 000.00 from Manlafi Sanyang.”

It was at this moment that the duo, Essa Badjie and Ousman Sonko advised Abdoulie Kujabie to immediately leave the country as he could face another arrest. They quickly facilitated Kujabie's journey to Dakar on the pretext that he was going for medical check up. Reveals Tamala, “Interior Minister Ousman Sonko gave Kujabie some pocket money and prayed for his safety while in Senegal.” “I will always be grateful to you for all the good you did for me while NIA boss” Sonko was quoted as emotionally telling the corrupt former NIA Director General who presided over the most corrupt and most predacious intelligence agency ever.