By Mustapha Jallow
The former deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Ousman Jammeh, who was arrested on 15th October 2015, is still languishing in 
detention at maximum security wing in Mile Two prison without access to his family for 339 days as at today.
Mr. Jammeh, who had served as deputy agriculture of minister under the regime of President Yaya Jammeh for only 4 months, has been denied family visits and is yet to be brought before a court of law.
According to a close family source, they last saw their loved one that fateful day when he left his house to go to the provincial town of Basse to formally launch an official event in commemoration of World Food Day.
The source added that this long detention and denial of access to him has been traumatizing the family, especially Mr. Jammeh’s young wife and children and his mother.
The source also noted that the family was expecting that their loved one would be released from detention before the celebration of the Muslim feast of Eid ul Adha or ‘Tobaski’ held last Monday.
“We are calling on the authorities to release him to reunite with his young family,” said the source.
It could be recalled that Mr. Jammeh’s arrest was reported to his family by the two police orderlies attached to him at the time who witnessed the incident when he was whisked away in the presence of an intelligence operative. He was first held at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul for 91 days before being transferred to Mile Two Prison where he is detained incommunicado since then.
