By Mustapha Jallow
Officials of the Gambia Ferry Service were recently invited at the police headquarters in Banjul over the unending breakdown of the ferries at the Banjul-Barra crossing point.
Cadet ASP Modou Musa Sisawo, the police spokesperson on Monday said the officials were only questioned but not arrested or detained. Their questioning, he said, was in relation to the public concern over the reoccurrence of the ferry breakdown.
He said the police want to get first-hand information about the crisis at the ferry terminal. He added that the officials were asked to return to their workplace on the same day.
“No one was arrested or detained. They were only questioned,’’ Sisawo told Foroyaa.
Asked whether the police opened an investigation into the matter, he replied in the negative – repeatedly stating that the officials were only questioned and ‘nothing else so far’.
The men summoned for questioning were said to be the director of operations, director of technical services, ferry captain and an engineer.
At the terminal, there have been repeated incidents of breakdown of ferries and in some instances the passengers onboard would have to stay for some hours in the water. Recently, the Kanilai Ferry was caught up in a similar situation resulting in the army and others to come up with rescue boats to rescue the passengers.
The engine of the Kanilai Ferry (the only ferry that was operating at the Banjul-Barra ferry crossing point) was off, and the ferry which was heading towards Barra, was drifting towards Albreda.
Nowadays, the people use the boats to travel while the ferries are being repaired.
