By Mustapha Jallow
The longtime serving Inspector General of Police (IGP) Yankuba Sonko has been redeployed and Landing Kinteh
has taken over as the new IGP yesterday, 22 June 2017 around 1pm.
Sonko has done the handing over on the same day at the Police headquarters and he was seen been escorted out of the headquarters led by the new Deputy IGP and other police officers.
It was a deeply emotional moment at the headquarters, where some female police officers could be seen crying while other officers shook their heads. Outside the headquarters Sonko shook the hands of senior officers as he departed.
Inspector Foday Conta, the Police spokesperson said that Commissioner Landing Kinteh has been appointed as the new IGP while the outgoing IGP Yankuba JN Sonko has been redeployed to the foreign and diplomatic mission. He said that Alhaji Mamour Jobe has also been appointed as the Deputy Inspector General of Police replacing the out-going Deputy Inspector General of Police, Momodou Sowe who has been redeployed to a lower position (Commissioner of Police).
The spokesperson said that prior to his appointment, the new IGP, held so many positions in the police and UN system. He said Kinteh joined the police as a cadet officer (Cadet ASP) and rose through the ranks to his present appointment as IGP. He added that IGP Kinteh was assigned the position of Officer Commanding Airport Police Unit, appointed second in command (2IC) in the prosecution unit, Officer Commanding Prosecution unit, and Commissioner of police prosecution and legal Affairs unit.
‘‘The new IGP being the commander of a 100-man team, was deployed to AU mission in Darfur which was later transited to United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID),’’ PRO Conta said.
Further narrating Kinteh’s profile, he said that upon Kinteh’s return from the UN mission, he was deployed to the ministry of Justice where he helped in the establishment of NAATIP and become the first Executive Director. Later he went for another UN mission, this time appointed as the police reform adviser.
‘IGP Kinteh, backed a lot of degrees in his pursue for quality education. He obtained LLB degree in common law and Islamic law combined honors at Usman Dan Fodio University in Sokoto, Nigeria. He also obtained an LLM degree in law from the Essex University in United Kingdom. Upon completion, he joined the first batch of law students of the University of the Gambia and graduated ….,’’ he said
IGP Kinteh just returned from the United Nations and took up his appointment and new challenge as IGP of the Gambia.
In a similar situation the PRO said: ‘‘The New DIG is a veteran police officer who spent the greater part of his career as the administrator of the police Training School (Academy). Before joining the Police, Jobe was a school teacher with the education department. Shortly after his initial training as police officer, he served as a detective officer with the then CID. Later he was transferred to the police Training School as an Instructor in general policing law, related evidence and procedure.’’
He added that in his career, Mamour also served as a drug law enforcement officer, adding that he later became Station Officer in Banjul, Kanlagi and Sere Kunda Police Stations, respectively. ‘‘At the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police, Jobe was then the Second in Command in Kanifing Region before going back to the Police Training School as Officer Commanding.’’
The Police spokesperson explained that DIG Jobe also got experience working with the UN as he was deployed to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNAMIL) and after completing his assignment in Liberia, he returned home and became the Deputy Chief of Operations, Commissioner of Police West Coast Region and Crime Management Coordinator.
From there, he said Jobe was deployed to the Ministry of the Interior and also become commissioner of police North Bank Region, before finally going back to the police Academy as commissioner.
Until recently, New DIG Jobe got redeployed to the Kanifing Region as Regional Commissioner prior to his appointment to the position of Deputy Inspector General of Police. DIG Alhaji Mamour Jobe is currently reading law at the university of the Gambia.
It could be recalled that Sonko who served under the regime of former President Yayha Jammeh, took up the IGP position in 2010 but he was removed and deployed to Ministry of Justice and Benjamin Wilson was appointed as IGP on 27 September, 2014.
After almost year, Wilson was also removed from the position and replaced by Mr. Yankuba Sonko on 13 July, 2015 following his return from a trip. Wilson was asked to do a handing over to Sonko when he reported to his office upon arrival from a mission.
