One killed in Wuli Armed Robbery

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By Kebba A.F. Touray

Reports from Macca Masire village in the Wuli East District of the Upper River Region have indicated that there was an armed robbery in the village on Saturday night which claimed the life of one young man called Muhammed Nanki.

According to the villagers, six men who were armed with AK47 Rifle, cutlasses, and knives attacked a shop located in the village in the middle of the night and took away money and countless mobile phones.

Mr. Ba Lamin Touray, a villager, on Sunday morning (July 3rd), said a house wife alerted them that her husband who went hunting the previous night has not returned home. He said they were informed that as the young man was returning home, he met up with the armed robbers who intercepted and tied his hands and legs and gagged his mouth, ears and mouth with pieces of cloth. He said he was then left lying there helpless in the outskirts of the village.

Touray further explained that when they left in search for him, they eventually found him lying there motionless and then proceeded right away to inform the Sare Ngai Police of the gruesome incident.

“The villagers said the police rushed to the scene and found the young man but had advised that no one should touch him until an ambulance comes to collect him. They said the Baja Kunda ambulance eventually arrived and took the corpse to Bansang where it was transferred to Edward Francis Small Hospital in Banjul for post mortem.

The shopkeeper, who is a Mauritanian by nationality, told this reporter that the robbers took away a huge sum of money and all the mobile phones in the shop. He said he is yet to quantify the losses.

A large crowd of relatives and sympathisers was found at the family home of the deceased.

Muhammed Nanki, who was a former goalkeeper of the main village football team, was also engaged in farming, hunting as well as baking bread for the village. Villagers mourn his untimely death and the great loss to the entire community of Macca Masire.

He also left behind a pregnant wife and 6 young children.

However, Mr. Alpha Kamateh, the “Alkalo” of the villager, appeals to the government to provide continuous security in the area as they are vulnerable to such robberies; adding that this is the second such attack by armed robbers in a single month.

Before leaving the village on Sunday, some security personnel arrived in the village led by Sergeant Abubacarr Drammeh who told the reporter they were there to ensure and /or maintain security.

Mr Nanki’s body was transported from the EFS Hospital in Banjul for burial at his village on Monday, 4th July 2016. The corpse was received on its return by sympathisers from all over the URR and beyond who escorted it to its burial which took place around 7.30pm on Monday.