By Ebrima G. Sankareh

Contrary to recent press reports that Boto Construction Company allegedly abused office and its Managing Director, Modou Lamin Sonko stole equipment from The Department of State for Works; we at The Echo are privy to damning information that suggests the contrary.

 According to our military affairs correspondent Officer “X” (a.k.a.”OX”) Mr. Sonko’s recent arrest and trial has nothing to do with allegedly stolen bulldozers. To suggest that Modou Lamin Sonko stole equipment from the state argues OX, is not only bizarre but also preposterous none sense. According to OX, Sonko was a very close friend to President Yahya Jammeh dating back to the early days of the coup that propelled Jammeh to power. So when Captain Sana Sabally visited Libya in the early days of the coup, Murmur Ghaddafi provided the junta with a cache of weapons and money. Subsequent to these gifts, the government of Egypt supplied heavy weapons to Jammeh including obsolete tankers that were used during that vanquished Arab nation’s 1973 war with Israel. Says OX, in the aftermath of the November coup, it became all too apparent that most of the soldiers in The Gambia National Army were not loyal to the junta and Chairmen Jammeh began a 2MILLION Dalasis Dual Bunker Project at State House solely under the control of The President and Boto Construction. Reveals OX, one bunker called the Quick Reaction Force Bunker was located near the Atlantic and a doubled Deck Heavy Weapons Presidential Bunker was located at the Presidential gardens. During the construction, Boto had total access to all equipment, the bulldozers from the Department of State inclusive. Many a time recalls OX, President Jammeh left his office and sat at the construction site supervising the engineers how to go about the project. Within a short period, the quick Reaction Force Bunker closest to the Ocean was completed and our reporter who has extensive military training calls it an up-graded pit latrine.

However, according to OX, days after the completion of the most grandiose Doubled Deck Presidential Bunker that was supposed to house the tanks and heavy equipment like the mortars, RPGs, AAs, from Libya and the tankers from Egypt, and accommodate Jammeh and his family during trouble, nature dealt the project a colossal blow. Says OX, the aquifers from beneath the water table seemed to have been aggravated and the entire bunker was flooded resulting in huge devastation of the elaborate structure. “I have never seen President Jammeh so angry as the day the bunker flooded” reveals OX. “He quickly called his most loyal lieutenant, the late Almamo Manneh and told him that he does not want to see Modou Lamin Sonko anymore and that the bunker has to be demolished now.” This is why I don’t trust anybody; the man I thought would safe my life has used my money and look at the f… project he built” Jammeh would rant. Manneh who was a confident of Jammeh pleaded with him to give Modou Lamin Sonko a chance and that leave everything to Allah as no one has control over nature.” Jammeh would fist on the elaborate mahogany desk at his room and threaten to teach Boto a lesson and Manneh would insist that he give Sonko a second chance.

After Almamo succeeded in convincing Jammeh, Modou Lamin Sonko flew to Germany and in two weeks a team of German engineers were in The Gambia. Their mission? To salvage a doomed doubled deck presidential edifice that has consumed two million Dalasis of taxpayers’ money. Reveals OX, as the Germans were in the process of salvaging this bunker, President Jammeh started leaving his office to supervise them. One day recalls OX, one of the German engineers sarcastically told Jammeh that he did not know that he was such a fantastic engineer. However, since the man knows less about sarcasm says OX, he smiled and told the engineer “don’t you that I am a doctor.” After what our correspondent called a futile effort, the Germans left The Gambia only for the aquifers to start pumping saline water into the bunker. Ever since the second flooding of the installation, says OX, President Jammeh has ceased all relations with Sonko and for some of us close to the man; we are not the least surprised at the frivolous charges.

Reveals OX, Jammeh is very worried because the totality of weapons from both Libya and Egypt are now in two cargo containers at State House and not in a bunker as planned. The containers continue to pose a big security threat to the President because any group of dissidents that invade the State House can have access to these deadly weapons laments OX. “So I urge President Jammeh to tell the Attorney General’s Chambers that Boto’s/Sonko’s true story has to do with a corrosive presidential bunker and not stealing; may be they need to amend the charges from conspiracy to commit felony to “a serious architectural blunder leading to a loss of D2000000” argues OX.