Residents
of the Kanifing Layout have pointed fingers at the Police Intervention Unit
(PIU) of firing teargas canisters on Sunday as they chased members of the 3
Years Jotna, a pressure group who were protesting in demand for President Adama
Barrow’s resignation.
According
to the people of Kanifing Layout, PIU officials chased protesters from Sting
Corner to Kanifing where four compounds were hit by the teargas.
“I
heard a noise and when I opened my veranda, I saw smokes all over my compound.
I later called my husband, because I thought it was a fire outbreak in our
house without knowing it was a teargas,” Kaddy Jallow told The Point.
“When
we realised it was teargas, we closed all our windows because we were coughing
at some point, and we nearly suffocated because the smokes were all over our
house.”
She
said that she at some point found it very hard to breathe properly; adding that
their neighbours also saw the smokes and thought there was fire outbreak in
their compound.
Abdoulie
Jallow said: “I thought they chased some of the protesters and later thought
some of them got to our compound which later made them fire teargas in my
compound,” he opined. He, however, condemned firing of teargas into his
compound, saying: I” wasn’t part of the protest.”
He
added that they didn’t subscribe to “this 3 Years Jotna and their protest,”
complaining that the smoke nearly killed them as his wife is an asthmatic
patient.
Ebrima
Suwareh said: “I was in my room when my wife came shouting, saying that they
saw smokes in the compound. I later came out at my compound gate started
confronting them, because at some point I was really angry at them.”
According
to him, when he came to his gate, he saw some PIU officials chasing one person
at another compound, where residents were shouting which made them leave.
Mr.
Suwareh also revealed that he saw PIU officials shooting at some protesters,
adding that they (residents) didn’t have time for this protest.
