By Mustapha Jallow
Two members of the Gambia Armed Forces, Warrant Officer Class 1 (WOC1), Alieu Jeng and Warrant Officer Class 2 (WOC2) Abdoulie Jallow, alias ‘Jallino’, were arrested and detained at the Guards Battalion in Fajara Barracks, under the Military Police, since March 2017, military sources say.
Sources disclose that before WOC1 Jeng was arrested, he was residing in Hamza Barracks with his family and was one time attached to the former vice President, Isatou Njie-Saidy. ‘‘Jeng and Jallow were part of the Darfur contingent but were suddenly dropped and arrested a week before the contingent left for Sudan, sources reveal.
Despite their family members having access to them, their detention has clocked the 72 hours deadline imposed by section 19 of the constitution which stipulates that a detainee should be informed of the reason(s) of his/her arrest and given access to a lawyer within three hours of his / her arrest; and if such detainee is not released within 72 hours, he/she should be brought before a court of law
However, at the time of going to press, Lieutenant Colonel Omar B. Bojang, GAF spokesperson confirmed the detention and said that the two soldiers were arrested because of what they have done, during the former regime of President Jammeh.‘‘They have not been charged yet but our joint Investigations is still going on and would come to a conclusion on their cases, soon,’’ he said.
