Breaking News: The True Story About Lawyer Sillah’s Shooting, The Plan To Assassinate Journalist D.A. Jawo, Hon.Baba Jobe &The Independent Newspaper Attack
By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-in-Chief
Ever since hails of lethal bullets were fired at veteran Gambian lawyer Ousman M.E. Sillah on that fateful Boxing Day December 25, 2003 (just after mid-night) numerous stories, speculations and endless innuendo were peddled in trying to unlock this mysterious yet withering indictment of both the judicial and political systems under President Yahya Jammeh’s harrowing authoritarianism. Today, as promised, we at The Echo are privileged with the eerily chilling circumstances leading up to lawyer Sillah’s cowardly shooting.
Ousman Sonko & Yahya Jammeh Twins of Evil
According to our most competent sources at The Office of The President and The National Intelligence Agency (NIA), “Interior Secretary Ousman Sonko, then Captain Ousman Sonko, Commander of the State House Guards was the Chief assassin to lawyer Ousman Sillah. President Yahya Jammeh personally handed his short gun, a black short gun to Captain Sonko and told him to kill Ousman Sillah and Hon. Baba Jobe’s entire defense team.” To punctuate their unassailable evidence against Sonko and Jammeh our sources continue “we challenge President Jammeh if he is the Muslim he claims to be, to go on national TV and swear by the Holy Quran that (a) he did not order Sonko to kill lawyer Sillah, (b) that Sonko was not the lead assassin, (c) that he President Jammeh did not own the black short gun (d) that he did not personally hand the gun to Sonko and told him kill lawyer Sillah and the entire defense team and finally, (e) that he did not dispatch the NIA to visit lawyer Sillah’s supposed dead body at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital Morgue (“Dead House”) to confirm that indeed, Ousman Sillah was silenced.
However, as if by divine intervention argue our sources, the plan to eliminate the rest of Baba Jobe’s defence team failed because Jammeh and Sonko had a dispute over money. President Jammeh our sources allege, entrusted Captain Sonko with D200, 000 (Two hundred Thousand Dalasis) of his personal money to train a team of Special Forces under Lt. Savage. These forces were to mainly conduct clandestine operations for Jammeh especially, at night and during elections and other important state functions. Sonko allegedly stole D140, 000 and handed the remaining D60, 000 to Lt. Savage. When Jammeh summoned Savage to ask how the programme was faring and what further assistance he may need, Jammeh was allegedly furious when Savage talked about financial constraints. According to our sources, Jammeh immediately called Daba Marena, the Ex- Director General of the NIA and instructed that he investigates Sonko and Savage because the money was from his personal account. He allegedly called Sonko names to the effect that an animal can never be human no matter how you try to help it. He asked that Sonko leave State House forth with. Major Bajinka replaced Captain Sonko and he moved to Yundum Barracks pending Marena’s investigation. During the investigation, Captain Sonko reportedly confessed to the late Daba Marena that he was faced with family problems and that he, Lt. Savage and Lt. Samba Baldeh, Sonko’s Second In Command (2 IC), shared the money. After Marena concluded his investigations, our sources reveal, he recommended that the trio-Cpt. Sonko, Lt. Baldeh and Lt. Savage be arrested and detain at Mile II Central Prisons but Major Bajinka who was appointed on March 19th, 2004 as new State House Guard Commander appealed to Jammeh to allow the trio to return his money and he agreed. Lt. Savage paid President Jammeh D10, 000; Cpt. Sonko paid D50, 000 and was subsequently forgiven by Jammeh not to pay the balance. According to our sources, once Bajinka took over, the State Guards, he found two Captains: Hinnah Sambou and Famara Jammeh and Lieutenant Samba Baldeh. Naturally, since the army operates on seniority basis, Cpt. Hinnah Sambou became Major Bajinka’s 2Ic and that allege our sources, limited Lt. Samba Baldeh’s access to vital information. Our sources say Lt. Baldeh was with fugitive Army Commander Col. Ndure Cham in Sierra Leone from 2002-4 on peace keeping operations and was said to be very loyal to Cham and may have been planted at State House to feed Cham with vital information leading to the maturation of the now March 2006 coup debacle. Revealed our sources, once it was evident that Lt. Baldeh’s access to information was quite scanty, coupled with sonko's confessed stealing, he was advised by good friends to quit the service and better still, leave the country lest the Grand Plan unravels. According our sources, Baldeh heeded to the admonition and now lives in Seattle, Washington State.
The Plan to Abduct & Kill Journalist D. A. Jawo
According to our sources, veteran Gambian journalist Demba Ali Jawo Ex-President of the Acerbic Gambia Press Union (GPU) was supposed to be the first casualty well before Deyda Hydara was gunned down. According to our sources, there was a retreat at the Sindola Hotel at Kanilai where Demba Jawo and numerous other members of the GPU converged. Captain Ousman Sonko was allegedly instructed by President Jammeh to make sure that Jawo never sees Banjul again. “I want D. A. Jawo to die miserably and be buried in Kanilai” Jammeh allegedly told Sonko. Captain Sonko immediately called Major Khalipha Bajinka that renegade soldier who was the Commander at Kanilai at the time, and told Bajinka, “Kebba” (one of President Jammeh’s numerous aliases) wants you to identify D. A. Jawo from among the journalists on retreat at Sindola and lure him into an isolated area so that my boys from State House can eliminate him and have him buried or burnt in the woods of Kanilai, Kebba does not want Jawo to see Banjul again” our highly placed sources revealed. Bajinka said our sources, quickly went to Sindola and could not identify D. A. Jawo, but found Ndey Tapha Sosseh who was with the pro-government Daily Observer and asked if Jawo was present. Ndey Tapha allegedly pointed at Jawo and Bajinka pretended that it was normal Gambian gesture of good will. According to our sources, Bajinka wanted to tell Jawo to flee Kanilai but on second thought changed his mind lest Jawo writes in the papers that Major Bajinka kicked him out of Kanilai. As Bajinka was calculating what to do next, Ndey Tapha told him that her mom Ms. Adelaide Sosseh was part of the retreat and that they would appreciate him escorting them to the President’s zoo. At this stage, Captain Sonko called constantly to see if he could dispatch the killers. Bajinka allegedly lied to Sonko that the only journalist there was Ndey Tapha an employee of the Daily Observer and that she wanted to visit the zoo. Sonko told Bajinka not to hang the phone until he talks to Kebba (President Jammeh) because Daba Marena’s boys spotted Jawo at Sindola. Sonko finally told Bajinka that Kebba said either you or Daba Marena was lying and that he hates to deal with liars. Bajinka said ok Sir.
The Plan To Ambush & Kill Baba Jobe
According to our sources, barely two weeks after the plan to abduct and kill Jawo from the Sindola Hotel failed, President Jammeh instructed Sonko again to call Major Bajinka and have him prepare the guards for a major operation; to lay waiting in the Basse high way for Baba Jobe’s vehicle en route to Jarra. That once spotted, he should be asked to stop and no sooner had he stopped than he should be ambushed and killed and then notify State House so that GRTS can announced that he was resisting arrest for economic crimes and in the process, pulled out an AK-47 riffle with intent to kill soldiers of the GNA. According to our sources, Kebba wanted every body with Baba Jobe to go with him because they will tell all kinds of lies if you spare them he reportedly said. However, according to our sources, Bajinka declined to carry out the instructions from Sonko who was a junior officer, a Captain much to the consternation of both Kebba and Sonko. Revealed our competent sources, soon after Bajinka’s alleged refusal to facilitate the assassination of Hon. Baba Jobe, a UN indicted blood-diamond operative of President Jammeh, Jammeh used the courts. Hon. Jobe who served as Majority leader in Gambia’s Parliament was once a powerful lieutenant of President Jammeh but ran afoul of the dictator, was subsequently arrested and tried with a barrage of felonious economic crimes and subsequently convicted. He now serves a nine-year jail term.
The Independent Newspaper Attack: The Gun & The Vehicle Used
Like the Ousman Sillah incident and the Deyda Hydara assassination, The Independent Newspaper attack by hitherto unknown gunmen constitutes a dark chapter in The Gambia’s post-coup politics and like the lawyer Sillah case, we are pleased yet saddened to report what our most competent sources at both State House and the NIA gave as the Blue Print. According to our sources, Captain Ousman Sonko who was now disgruntled over his transfer to Yundum Barracks as punishment after he confessed to stealing Jammeh's money, was poised to return to State House and wanted to please Jammeh at all cost. Captain Sonko our sources allege, bought a white Toyota van from one Manda Sillah of Old Jeswang and planned an attack on the once acidic Independent Newspaper leaving behind a trail of destruction. According to our lead NIA informer, after the melee that ensued between the Newspaper's brave staff and the desperados, the Independent’s staff made a fundamental flaw in evidence gathering by surrendering the weapon left behind by the assailants without recording its serial number. Says our NIA lead, during the investigations, the weapon’s serial number was traced to State House Form: 1033 and the records on Form: 1033 indicated without any shadow of doubt that Captain Ousman Sonko as State Guard Commander issued the gun and in fact, according to the “SOP”- Standing Operation Procedures, the person he issued the weapon to was not supposed to use that weapon. “We cannot therefore reveal that person’s name Mr. Sankareh because he may be killed” our sources cautioned. According to our sources, once it became evident that State House was behind the attack and that The Independent Management failed to write down the weapon’s serial number, the police were instructed to give the paper’s Managing Editor Alhaji Yerro Jallow, a fake serial number which he subsequently published. “Mr. Sankareh, we want the whole world to know that the real serial number of the weapon issued by Captain Sonko according to Form: 1033 is totally different from what the Independent published and cannot be used in any court of law” they say with confidence. “We hope all Gambians especially journalists, will learn from this that since we are in a police state, all evidence collected should be safely kept until the day of reckoning,” they said.
Enter Journalist Ms. Njaimeh Bah
According to our sources, the Independent Newspaper attack had overwhelming political ramifications viz: to tell Jammeh that after all, Cpt. Sonko was not the villain that he thought since he was willing to burn the most critical publication to his government and kill its staffers; to simultaneously send a message to the dictator that numerous crimes were committed during Cpt. Sonko’s tenure as State House Commander but the public never had a clue and more fundamentally, to discredit Bajinka as an incompetent liar and subsequently return Sonko and Baldeh to State House for the maturation of the March debacle. This is where the much talked about Point Newspaper reporter who has since climaxed to GRTS comes in.
According to our sources, it was Capt. Sonko’s 2IC Lt. Samba Baldeh who introduced Njaimeh Bah to him and it was through this lady that Hon. Hamat Bah was able to get the information that Sana Manjang et al, attacked the Independent and that he was allegedly receiving treatment at Major Bajinka’s residence. It was Captain Sonko who doctored the whole story and presented it to Hon. Hamat Bah with the hopeful anticipation that once the cock and bull story was delivered in Parliament, Bajinka was doomed and that argue our competent sources, seemed to have come to fruition. To compensate Njaimeh and silence her, Cpt. Sonko secured her a job at GRTS, in November 2006, bought her a Renault 11 car and promised to marry her our sources charge. In February, this year our lead NIA source alleges, that while Njaimeh was at Sonko’s house visiting, Pa Modou Sonko, Capt. Sonko’s son jumped behind the wheel of the R11, drove it at brake neck speed and knocked it against a wall. The car was totally damaged, as Sonko and Ms. Bah were allegedly busy in the bedroom. Sonko’s wife Amie Sonko, is in the UK trying to improve her English just in case…. The vehicle was later repaired from the Police Vote.
The April 10-11 Student Massacre
According to our highly placed presidential and NIA sources the order to kill the student demonstrators on April 10-11 came directly from President Yahya Jammeh who was at the time visiting Cuba. Says our lead NIA source, when Ex-Interior Minister Ousman Badjie called President Jammeh to report the student disturbances the President was shaken. “Minister Badjie spoke to the President from the Para-Military Headquarters and told him that the students were about to incapacitate the entire state apparatus” said our sources. A jittery President Jammeh instructed minister Badjie “kill those bastards.”
According to our competent sources, one Mr. Ebrima Yaboh of GamTel was on duty at the relay station and allegedly intercepted the conversation between Minister Badjie and a nervous President Jammeh. Yaboh reportedly gave a copy of the instruction “kill those bastards” to lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party. This, charge our sources, explains why Yahya Jammeh wanted Ousainou Darboe dead and subsequently, arrested Yaboh and charged him with treason. Ebrima Yaboh was zealously represented by lawyer Ousman Sillah the protagonist of this story. He was set free but re-arrested and warned never to divulge the content of the Badjie Jammeh conversation and the president’s three word chilling instruction “Kill Those Bastards” that left more than a dozen students dead and many more maimed.
Editor’s Note: In Part II we will discuss famed radio journalist Bora Mboge’s encounter with Jammeh, the old man at Bakau Katchakilly, the white bull slaughtered and scarified by Major Bajinka, Amadou Jammeh (a.k.a.Pajero-President Jammeh’s brother) and the owner of the taxi that was used to assassinate journalist Deyda Hydara.