By Yankuba Jallow
Sainey Bojang, a 75 – year – old survivor of the Yahya Jammeh’s witch-hunting activities on Tuesday, 19th November 2019 told the TRRC he was fooled by the witch – hunters.
“I was told that they were going to cure me and I went with that hope without knowing they were going to make me drink concoction,” he said.
The father of 15 children said he was taken from his family by Yahya Jammeh’s Green Boys under the leadership of Major Solo Bojang and was taken to late Baba Jobe’s residence in Kololi.
The witch – hunters came to the Gambia sometime in 2009 on the invitation of former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh and went to communities abducting people and making them drink hallucinogenic concoction against their desire.
He indicated the witch – hunters were led to his house by the village alkali – Kebba Bojang. He said when they arrived, they found him taking his lunch together with his family and the people wearing red clothes did not tell him anything and they began leaving. He further testified the alkali told him to go with them even though he was not identified by the witch – hunters.
“My family held me and told me not to go, but I told them to let me go. The alkali told me that those people were marabouts who were sent by Yahya Jammeh to come and cure us,” he said.
According to him, Major Solo Bojang was among those who came to his house together with the witch – hunters.
“The alkalo handed me to the green boys,” he said.
He said they were never told that those marabouts were witch – hunters, instead they were told to get on board the bus to be cured.
“I did not go willingly,” he said.
He said he was taken to the bus and it drove to Kololi at the residence of late Baba Jobe, a former lawmaker. He testified the bus was overloaded and some people were standing in the bus. He added they left Jambur at 5 pm.
He said their names were taken by Solo Bojang who told them to queue for them to be issued with the medicine.According to him, he was the second person to be issued with the concoction which he said was made from “Kubejaro”( a local plant).
“We were given the concoction in a toilet. The cup that we used to drink the concoction was a toilet cup,” he remarked.
He told the Commission that after taking the concoction, he lost consciousness and lost control of himself. He testified the following morning, they drank the concoction again under the instruction of Major Solo Bojang. He said in the evening, they were made to get on board the bus and were brought back to Jambur. He added some of them were not able to walk, while others were helped to walk by their relatives.
“We are still living the pain of the concoction,” the witness said.
He told the Commission he sometimes lacks water and blood in his body among other illness that he won’t disclose publicly.
He said Saikou Camara and his wife, Manjiki Cham, Lamin Jammeh Snr, Mama Jamba, Dembo Jariatou, Bouy Koiteh, Wassa Darboe, Momodou Kumba, Lamin Dandang Bah among others could not survive the ordeal they went through as a result of drinking the concoction and died subsequently.
