By Madiba Singhateh
The Chief of Nianija, Dawda York, said on Sunday, August 10, that two men dressed in soldier uniforms escaped on a motorbike after being spotted in the bush, allegedly killing vultures.
“I have found that they killed a lot of vultures and removed their foot,” Chief York said. He explained that the first incident happened about eleven days earlier, when the same men were reportedly seen shooting the birds.
According to him, the men returned on Saturday. “When I heard about it, I was told they went to the forest. Later I followed them but I could not find them, only the heads and the legs,” he said. “When they came, one woman told them the chief is asking about you. They took their bike and left. This happened on Saturday, and they left the remains of the vultures.”
He said witnesses described the men as wearing military outfits without hats. “It seems they are soldiers, but with no hat. They came and they were killing them with guns,” he said.
The chief said he informed the Governor about the incident. “Since that incident, the community is shaking because we don’t know who sent them and what they are up to, and we don’t know if the government is aware of it,” he said.
Although the men could not be caught, he said the army at a checkpoint in the area was informed about “two men with a gun wearing a military fatic.”
“We told the governor and we want the government to look into the issue because they are tarnishing the image of the soldiers,” Chief York said.
