By Yankuba Jallow
Omar Jallow alias Oya, a member of the redundant ‘Junglers’ Wednesday told the TRRC that he took part in the killing and burial of two Gambian-Americans in Kanilai under the instruction of Yahya Jammeh, an ex-
Staff Sergeant Jallow also admitted participating in the killing of Baba Jobe, Ndour Cham, 9 death row inmates, Haruna Jammeh (a brother to Yahya Jammeh), Mustapha Colley, Saul Ndow and Mahawa Cham, among others.
Jallow said he and his colleagues were called by Malick Manga to a meeting at their usual meeting point in Kololi. He said those who were present at that meeting were; Major Nuha Badjie, Captain Momodou Jarju alias Rambo, Lieutenant Mustapha Sanneh, Lieutenant Michael Jatta, WO2 Fansu Nyabally, WO2 Pa Sanneh, Staff Sergeant Amadou Badjie, Staff Sergeant Sulayman Sambou, Corporal Saikouba Jarju and one Micheal Correa.
He said they were addressed by Nuha Badjie that there were two Gambian-Americans who came in to the country to topple the government of Yahya Jammeh.
“Micheal Correa was monitoring their ins and outs at the hotel (where they were lodged),” he said.
He said Michael was giving them information with regards to their movements.
He said: “when they were leaving the hotel, Michael Correa called us and we went and arrested the two Gambian-Americans. We mounted a checkpoint at the place where the present Petroleum House is located and it was where we waited for them until they came and we arrested them.”
He said at the time of their arrest, they were five (5) in the vehicle including girls.
“We went to where they were lodged and conducted a search. We did not see anything other than their personal belongings. We met a truck parked outside and we searched it, but we couldn’t see anything. We found in their possession some money in dollar and dalasis but I don’t know the total. We gave the money to Nuha Badjie,” he said.
He said these two men were arrested around 3 to 4 am and we subjected them to interrogation at the base in Kololi.
“The two told us that their purpose of coming here was to topple the government of Yahya Jammeh; that there was shipping that was supposed to bring their weapons and that was why the truck was parked outside so that they will use the bags containing the hay to put the weapons there,” the witness said.
He said while they were being interrogated, they were being beaten and after their interrogation, they called General Sulayman Badjie who asked them to wait for him to communicate with Yahya Jammeh, the then head of state. He said after waiting for some time, General Badjie called Nuha Badjie and informed him that Yahya Jammeh wants to see the two Gambian-Americans.
“We put them into the vehicle and took the two to Kanilai. The two were Mamut Ceesay and Ebou Jobe.
He said his leaders in the name of Nuha Badjie, Momodou Jarju, Michael Jatta and Mustapha Sanneh took the two inside Yahya Jammeh’s house.
“After about 30 minutes, Nuha Badjie came out and told us that Yahya Jammeh has given an instruction that we kill the two and chop them into pieces,” the witness said.
He said: “We put them into the vehicle and drove to Yahya Jammeh’s garden in a convoy.”
He said Yahya Jammeh’s garden is behind Kanilai. He said Solo Bojang was part of the operation.
“I brought shovel and pickaxe and I was part of the diggers. We dug only one ditch,” he said.
“We covered them up with plastic bags and strangled them until they die and because Yahya Jammeh has given orders that we cut them into pieces, Malick Manga and Fansu Nyabally cut off the heads of Ebou and Mamud. After completing the digging, we put them in the ditch and we returned to Kanilai,” he said.
“We went with Solo Bojang because he knows the bush in Kanilai,” he said.
On the Killing of 9 Mile II Inmates
He said his phone did not function that day, and as a result Alieu Jeng brought a phone and he spoke to his colleagues who were waiting for him for the operation. He said the people who participated in the killing of the inmates were himself, Nuha Badjie, Major Nuha Badjie, Captain Momodou Jarju alias Rambo, Lieutenant Mustapha Sanneh, Lt. Micheal Jatta, WO2 Fansu Nyabally, WO2 Pa Sanneh, Staff Sergeant Malick Manga, Staff Sergeant Amadou Badjie, Staff Sergeant Saul Sambou, Couple Saikouba Jarju and police officers who were WO2 Modou Busso, Staff Sergeant Lamin Sambou and Staff Sergeant Buba Badjie.
“When I spoke to them on the phone, they told me that they needed me for an operation. I came out of my house at the Hamza Barracks and joined them. Nuha Badjie briefed us that there was an instruction from Yahya Jammeh that there were some inmates at Mile who were found wanting by the law and they should be executed. I entered the vehicle and joined them as we left for Mile II,” he said.
He said when they arrived at Mile II, they visited the office of David Colley the Director of the Gambia Prisons Services and met General Sulayman Badjie, Ousman Sonko the then Interior Minister and a short man who was the Justice Minister then.
“This was at night and I was in mask and we were all in mask,” the witness said.
He detailed that that was the first time he came to know that their patrol team had masks for such operations. He said the mask was not part of the uniforms of the Gambia Armed Forces. He added that on that night, they weren’t in uniform.
He said when they arrived at Mile II, the prison officers opened the gate for them and they were accorded easy access under the leadership of General Badjie, Minister Sonko and the then Minister of Justice.
“We lined-up our vehicles and Nuha Badjie and our leaders went in and took out 9 inmates from their cells,” he said.
He said when they were brought out, they put them in the vehicles and took them to the Lance Corporal Bojang’s Range in Brikama.
“When we got to the Range, we all came down and brought them down one by one. We put nylon plastic on their heads and cover them up. We suffocated them one by one until they all died. There was only one female who was Tabara Samba,” he said.
He said Modou Busso, Lamin Sambou and Buba Badjie were police officers who were transferred to the State House and later in the army.
“After killing them, we took them to the bush and throw them into a well,” he said, adding the bodies of Haruna Jatta and the Ghanaians were also disposed into a well.
He said the disposing of the bodies of the inmates in a well was a cover-up.
Killing of Lieutenant-Colonel Ndour Cham
He said the late army chief was held under detention at the NIA complex in Tanji and he was part of those who guarded him while he was under detention. He said he was on duties at Tanji NIA complex together with Pa Sanneh when Saul Badjie, the then Director of NIA Yankuba Badjie and two other NIA personnel came and spoke to Ndour Cham.
“Whatever they spoke to him, I don’t know,” he said.
He said one day, he was called to go to their base and met his colleagues in Kololi.
“Nuha Badjie said he got an order from the President that we should take Ndour Cham away and kill him. That was our assignment for the day,” he said.
He said from this point, they boarded their vehicle and went to Tanji and picked Ndour Cham.
“We put Ndour Cham in our middle in the vehicle and Malick Manga put four plastic bags on the head of Ndour Cham and we were sitting behind and Malick told us ‘alaa finish’ meaning let us finish him (Ndour Cham). Ndour Cham was handcuffed behind his back. I also joined them with the help of Momodou Jarju alias Rambo, we suffocated Ndour Cham to death,” he said.
On the Killing of Baba Jobe
He said Nuha Badjie told him that Baba Jobe was admitted at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He said when he arrived at the hospital, he had to go back, but later returned to the hospital.
“Yahya Jammeh said this night should not pass without Baba Jobe dying. Nuha told me that the boys will come to the Hamza Barracks and I should show them where Baba Jobe was lying at the hospital. When the boys came, I took them to the hospital and met a prison officer who told us that Baba Jobe was sleeping. We used the bed sheet we found on him to suffocate him until he died,” he said.
He said the prison officers did not resist and he believes they were informed before they came. He said the leader of the operation was Captain Momodou Jarju alias Rambo.
“We left Baba Jobe lying dead at the hospital,” he confessed.
He said Malick Manga called him to meet him at their base in Kololi. He said the personnel for that operation were Lt. Mustapha Sanneh, Lt Micheal Jatta, Staff Sergeant Manga, Sulayman Sambou and others. He said the operation was that there were two Gambians who purchased weapons and were looking for people to come and overthrow the government.
He said he saw two civilians in Solo’s vehicle, but he couldn’t recognize them. He said they drove to the Cassamance Region waiting for these individuals with the view to apprehend them. He added that when they were captured, they were put in one of the cars and brought to Kanilai.
“They were killed on the way using plastic bags to cover heir head. We buried them at a place I don’t know,” he said..
He said he has never received a butut from Yahya Jammeh, the ex-President of the Gambia under whose instruction they were killing the people. He said they were given each and every month they were given an allowance in addition to their salary.
“The allowance was higher than our monthly salary,” he said.
