By Ebrima G. Sankareh
The sudden and tragic death has been announced of Sergeant Omar Ndure, 39, in Oslo Norway on Monday July 6th. 2007. Ndure, the son of Ya Neneh Sarr and the late Alhaji Sainey Ndure of Barra, North Bank Division was until his retirement from The Gambia National Amy, a presidential guard at State House dating back to the pre-coup years. Once the bodyguard to then TSG Commander Press Jagne, Omar Ndure was moved to State House shortly before the July 1994 coup and continued to serve his country with discipline and an unwavering sense of patriotism. He immigrated to Norway in 2004 after retirement benefits from the army could not afford him the opportunities that life may offer.
While the exact circumstances of Omar’s death remain precarious, we can report that he died of heart failure and pneumonia. Lamentably, the local hospital in Oslo has given Omar’s family an ultimatum that unless they are able to return his body to The Gambia by Friday August 17, 2007, they have no recourse but cremate the corpse, a practice reported to be common in Norway. According to worried family members, it would cost about $15,000 to return the body to Omar Ndure’s native Gambia for the Muslim burial he deserves. “Just imagine what it would look like if we could not meet the financial demands by Friday when Omar’s remains will be transferred to the crematorium, how will our family receive this?” asks a shocked relative. “We are therefore, appealing to every Gambian particularly, the government of Yahya Jammeh to please step in before Omar’s body will be cremated on Friday” pleads a devastated relative. If anybody deserves help, it is Omar’s family because the young man had served his country with dedication and distinction that led him to the corridors of power at State House.
We at The Gambia Echo can also attest to Omar’s character. It was three decades ago that this reporter encountered Omar Ndure and his family at what was famously called Kung now only called Barra Point. His father, the late Alhaji Sainey Ndure was brother to the late Alhaji Kebba Ndure a famous businessman and farmer. Back tracking his boyhood days at the Essau primary school, Omar was always jovial, a fantastic social mixer with an easy-going personality. His beaming and shining face with red lips was his trademark and had the gift to tease at everybody and left the crowd grateful for the laughter that he alone knew how evoke. He was smart, slim, sharp and fast. He was agile and alert with a nimble disposition that no doubt, gave him the added advantage as a soldier. He was an excellent swimmer and a great imitator that could mimic teachers and leave us grateful for the subsequent sense of success. Above all, Omar Ndure was kind and expansive, a character so rare to come by, a social rara avis if you like. He loved and cared for everybody that he may have encountered and was certainly easy to love. The last time I saw Omar Ndure was 1994 before I left The Gambia. Like Lamin Bai his elder brother (my class mate), Seedy Narr Ndure, Alhaji Ndure, Sereign Ndure, Kumba Ndure, Madan Ndure and Mammbanyick Ndure, I say fare well Omar and sleep well like a gentle prince that I knew. Four children and his loving mom Ya-Neneh Sarr survive him. You want to help? Contact persons: Abdoulie Jagne, Oslo Norway (011) 47 982-54-105; Modou Lamin Sanneh, Sweden (011-46) 379-32-985, Mammbanyick Ndure, Greensboro NC (336) 558-4025