Abdoulie G. Dibba
The President of the Rice Farmers’ Cooperative Ltd., Haruna Gassama was released on Thursday, 3 September, 2015 after having
been held for 185 days incommunicado at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul.
Mr. Gassama, who was elected unopposed as president at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the rice farmers’ cooperative held at the Brikamaba School on 5 January 2012, was arrested on the 2 March this year and held at the NIA without access to family, lawyer and friends for more than six months.
He was, however, arrested on the very day when an official from the Sheriff Division of the high court came to the Lower Fulladu District to execute the order of the judgment delivered on the 12 January 2015 in favour of the plaintiff i.e. Mr. Gassama and his newly elected committee. The said judgment ordered the defendants i.e. Alhagi Musa Gimbo Trawally, former president, and his committee, to hand over forthwith the affairs and assets of the rice farmers cooperative society to the duly elected incoming executive as well give a true and proper account of the financial state and assets of the said society. It further restrained each of the defendants from posing as members of the executive committee of the rice growers cooperative.
A family source confirmed the released of their loved one but added that he is yet to reached home at Brikamaba as he is supposed to report on bail at the NIA headquarters in Banjul on Monday (today).
“We are looking forward to receiving him at home on Monday after reporting on bail. We have missed him for six months now,” said the family source.
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