By Mustapha Jallow
The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Kombo Central, Hon. Buba Ayi Sanneh, is still held incommunicado for 6 days at the
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul since on Wednesday, 31 August, 2016, according to a family source.
When this reporter revisited the residence of Hon. Sanneh in Brikama on Saturday, 3 September to enquire from the family members whether their loved one has been released by the NIA, his wife Aja Njie told Foroyaa that since her husband left the house on Wednesday (30th August 2016) morning to go and answer to the NIA, he didn’t return. Asked if she has made any effort to visit the NIA to enquire from them why he is held incommunicado, she responded in the negative and quickly added: ‘‘What I know is my husband went with his nephew to answer to the NIA and didn’t return home. He is the head of this young family.’’
However, at the time of going to press, Hon. Sanneh’s nephew, Alagi Senkereh, was also contacted and he disclosed that his uncle is yet to be released by the state security agents. He added that on Sunday, morning of 4 September, he revisited the NIA headquarters but was denied access to see his uncle. ‘‘Even one of his fellow NAMs also visited my uncle but was also denied access. We are hoping that on Monday or Tuesday he would be released from detention,’’ Senkereh revealed.
It was reported that Alagi Senkereh, a nephew of Hon. Sanneh, told this medium that while he was at his home on Tuesday, 30 August, he received a phone call from one of their relatives who informed him that some men are at the Kombo Central NAM’s home asking for him. He said when he rushed there, he found 4 men in civilian clothes and one uniformed Police officer.
“I then enquired from the men and one of them told me that they were sent by their boss to go and pick up Hon. Sanneh and take him to the NIA for questioning,” he said.
He said he told them that the NAM was indisposed but will be informed that he was wanted at the NIA.
Senkereh said in the following morning on Wednesday, he went with Hon. Sanneh to Banjul for him to report to the NIA.
“When we arrived at the NIA headquarters, an agent asked us to sit down and wait for him to go and inform his boss that we are around. The same agent returned and told us that the MP should follow him and that I should wait. After waiting for about 30 minutes, the same agent came back and told me to go outside and wait for Hon. Sanneh as people are not allowed to sit there,” said the NAM’s nephew.
Senkereh said he went outside and waited for hours with no sight of his uncle. He said when he returned to ask the agent about the fate of his uncle, he was told by the man to go home as they are having a panel discussion with him.
Asked whether he knows the reason (s) why the Kombo Central NAM was detained, he said the agents did not tell him anything other than the information that they were asked to come and arrest him.
Senkereh said they are appealing for the release of Hon. Sanneh to enable him reunite with his family.
However, while this reporter was at the home of the detained NAM, he saw relatives and friends coming in and out of the compound.
Hon. Sanneh’s long detention without court appearance is unlawful and contravenes section 19 (c) of the Second Republican Constitution (1997) which states that “Any person who is arrested or detained… who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court of law and, in any event, within 72 hours.
