By Mustapha Jallow
Sheikh Omar Colley, the Imam of a mosque in Jabang-Borehole Village, in the Kombo South District of West Coast Region, is 
still in detention at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul for 38 days without any access to family members, according to a close family source.
This is in violation of section 19 of the Constitution of the Second Republic which states that “Any person who is arrested or detained… who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court of law and, in any event, within 72 hours.”
The source revealed that they are not yet told or aware of the reason why he is held and that they have made several attempts to have access to him but without success.
He said the young family is presently undergoing trauma and hardship as the detained Imam is the sole breadwinner.
It was reported that Imam Colley on Thursday, 15 October, 2015 received a phone call from someone who claimed to be calling from Bansang Police station asking him to report immediately to the Old Yundum Police Station. Upon arrival at the said station, he was detained overnight and in the morning transferred to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul, on Friday 16 October.
Family members have expressed concern over his state of health as he is said to be hypertensive. They also revealed that they have made several attempts to take food, soap, toothpaste and some clothes to him, as he has not changed his clothes since his arrest and subsequent detention on Thursday, 15 October, but were denied access him since.
Imam Colley is also the head or ‘chef de garage’ of the Brikama-Basse car park in Banjul.
