By Makutu Manneh & Mustapha Jallow
Residents of Brufut Darusalam on Sunday found a dead man with HIS legs shackled inside two sacks on the side of a forest five meters away from the street.
Eyewitnesses said upon observation of the dead man’s body, it could be noticed that he was beaten.
The unidentified body is said to have worn a GDC shirt.
The dead man is yet to be identified as his face was spoiled. However, a police report showed that the dead man must have been between the age of 25 to 30 years old.
Residents also narrated that for about 2 to 3 days they have been passing the sacks where they were laid, but they were thinking the sacks contained waste even though they produced pungent smell.
This incident has left fear in the hearts of the residents of the area.
Some described the mysterious suspected murder as a heinous crime, while others say they are still shocked that a human being could do this “evil” act to their fellow human being.
According to the residents, health officials have fumigated the scene and also some fire service officials visited the scene. On how the residents eventually came to know that the sacks were containing a human being, a man named Muhammed Manneh said it was around 9pm when he was going to work at a woman’s compound when he was informed by the lady that her husband suspected that the sack on the side of the street was containing a human.
“I and my co-workers have been passing the sacks since Friday 23rd April, but we thought it was a waste,” Mr. Manneh said.
Muhammed said that was when he and his co-workers rushed to the scene to confirm things for themselves. He said upon arrival at the scene, they were greeted by a strong odour and they noticed human body parts were in the sacks.
Muhammed said that was when they ran to call the elders and informed the paramilitary station at Brufut Ghana Town. He said when the security officials came, they were asked to stay away from the scene.
“I am the only man in our compound and am living with women and children. Our compound is not fenced, it is an open space,” he said.
Mr. Manneh said he is scared talk-less of the women he is staying with. He said they are not safe and they need security in their settlement.
Saikou Badjie, who is said to be overseeing the area for the Alikalo of Brufut, said around 9 to 10am, a young man ran to his compound and informed him about the incident.
“I am terrified. I was unable to sleep the whole night. After seeing the corpse, I cried until I had head ache,” he said.
Mr. Badjie said on Monday morning he went to the police station to give his statement.
Kodou Sowe said she has been living in that area for about 2 years, but such incident never occurred there. Both Kodou and her mother explained that they are scared since what happened there was terrible.
“This place is so quiet, we really need security,” she said.
Adama Njie, said she relocated to the area not long ago.
“My husband goes to work every day and I am left home mostly with my daughter, but this incident has made us scared,” she said.
Madam Njie said the place is their home and they cannot abandon it.
Agents of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Police detectives were also on the ground gathering information about the mysterious incident. State security agents from Brikama and Brusubi were seen at the scene conducting their investigations s. Residents also said two agents came to their compound in the morning to collect information regarding the body.
“Some NIA agents came here, they were talking to my husband about the matter and after their conversation with him, my husband referred them to assistant Alkalo.” Kodou said.
The community is an undeveloped settlement and some are living in the forest, while others are opposite the forest. The area lacks electricity and road.
Senior paramilitary officers at Brufut Ghana town said a passerby saw the corpse and informed the residents. This prompted residents as well to immediately inform them about the matter.
“We deployed our personnel on the ground and they inspected the area before the corpse was taken away,” a senior paramilitary officer told reporters.
According to the officers, they have filed their report on the matter to Brusubi Police station, saying the matter is now in the hands of the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU).
“The commissioner at the CIU and his team are currently investigating the matter,” another senior PIU officer said.
The Gambia Police Force on Sunday said it has received intel-information about a mysterious (suspected) murder at Brufut forest.
“The office of the Inspector General of Police hereby informs the public that it has received reports of a case of suspected murder/death under unknown circumstances today Sunday 25th April 2021,” it said.
The Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the body found was a male person in his youthful age, between 25 – 30 years, saying the body was found covered in bags and legs tied with a rope at the Bird Watching Forest located between Brufut and Madiana villages in the Kombo North of West Coast Region.
“Police Investigators are working on constructing the crime scene and gathering evidence to ascertain the circumstances of the incident,” the Police release indicated.
“The body has been moved to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul for further examinations.”
The press release from the police called on the general public particularly people living within Brufut and Madiana villages to come forward with any information that might help the authorities in their investigation.
Equally, the Police also advised the public to desist from spreading false rumors or unverified information that could be detrimental to the investigation.
“The cooperation and understanding of the public is highly solicited,” said the Police.
