Breaking News
Halifa Sallah, Abba Gibba Arrested
--Sarr, Touray & Faal at RVTH for treatment
By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-In-Chief
Halifa at NIA, Sarr & Pap Saine at Mile II Prisons
Unassailable and highly placed sources within the corridors of State House say that Hon. Halifa Sallah, the former Minority Leader in the Gambian Parliament and Presidential candidate in the 2006 election for the National Alliance for Democracy & Development in The Gambia (NADD) is currently being detained at the notorious National Intelligence Agency (NIA) offices in Banjul. Also, Mr. Abba Gibba, Assistant News Editor for the embattled, The Point newspaper was arrested this afternoon following an article the paper carried on the fate of the arrested 7 journalists. Like his seven colleagues, the much feared and most predacious National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is detaining him too.
Reveals Kissy Kissy Mansa, “Halifa was at the NIA visiting his detained colleagues and all of a sudden, the officers invited him in for questioning and decided to detain him too”.
In a related but bizarre twist, the 7 detained journalists were ferried to the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court around 4pm this afternoon, before Magistrate Sainabou Ceesay Wadda, but all with the exception of Mrs. Sarata Jabbi were denied bail until Monday June 22. Mrs. Jabbi, a lactating mother of a six-month-old baby was granted a cumbersome bail bond of D200, 000 and 2 Gambian sureties, but before they could meet the stringent bail conditions, it was time and she was along with the remaining six, taken back to the NIA headquarters. All seven were charged with (I) conspiracy to publish seditious information calculated to undermine the government of President Yahya Jammeh and (II) publishing seditious information with intent to cause chaos or disorder.
However, according to Kissy, soon after returning to Banjul, an order came from President Jammeh that all seven detainees: Pap Saine, Ebrima Sawaneh, Sarata Jabbi, Pa Modou Faal, Emil Touray, Sam Sarr and Abubacarr Saidykhan be transferred to Mile II Prisons. They are currently held at the maximum-security wing of the ill-fated Prisons, Africa’s hell on earth. Halifa Sallah and Abba Gibba bring the list of detaied journalists to nine. It is not clear whether they too, will eventually be moved to the Mile II Prisons or not.
Torture or no Torture?
As we went to press the speculation now is whether three of the detained journalists were tortured while in detention or not. What we can confirm based on the veracity of our indefatigable Kissy Kissy Mansa is that, after their first night in jail at the NIA, three of the detainees: Foroyaa’s Chief Editor, Sam Sarr, Pa Modou Faal and Emil Touray of the Gambia Press Union were treated at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul. In tandem with journalistic ethics, this reporter rang up the RVTH where our good contacts corroborated the story that indeed all three were treated there, but when quizzed to elaborate further on the nature of the treatment the officer, said “ok, thank you sir and good luck” and then hung up the phone.