By Louise Jobe
The stall of Naffie Sonko, a vendor and president of the Women Vendors Association at the Buffer Zone market, was vandalized and destroyed and items stolen, in the early hours of Friday morning, November 9th 2018.
Narrating her story to this reporter, Sonko said she knew about the incident when she received a phone call at around 7:00 am from a fellow vendor, that the door to her stall was half open and she should come and see for herself at once. Sonko said she called her husband who lives in Tallinding, to rush to the market because she lives in Brusubi; that before she left her house, her husband called to tell her, that her stall was broken into, and he was reporting the matter at the Bundung Police Station.
Sonko said when she arrived at the market, she met her husband with two police and three CID officers from Bundung police station. According to her, she then open her stall and found out that most of her items and cash amounting to D15,000.00 was gone. She carried out an assessment of damages which was equivalent to D88,050.00. She said as a woman, she is doing business to support her family; that such actions discourage businesses in the country. She blamed the break-in on the lack of security at the Buffer Zone market and indicated that they pay duty to KMC every day. She called the media’s attention to her case that the starts with her; but that the lack of security at the market puts all other businesses at risk; that the only way they can be safe is to get security which should be provided by the KMC.
Lamin SM. Koma a vendor at the same market, said it was a sad day not only for Sonko, but for all vendors at the market; that this incident happened because of lack of security; that the market is not secure because people move in and out of the market at night, coming from different areas to enjoy themselves. He blamed the KMC for what happened and urged them to act by providing them with security.
