Ex NIA Boss Passes Away

Reports reaching this paper have it that the former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (N I A), Mr Pa Jallow, has passed away at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH).

He was appointed on Tuesday the 21stof November 2006.

He took over from Momodou Hydara, who was overseeing the post following the removal of Mr. Harry Sambou.

Mr Jallow was the first Director of the National Security Services (NSS) when it was established during the FirstRepublic.

He has also served as Commissioner to the North Bank Division in the FirstRepublic.

Following the change of government in 1994, Mr Jallow served as The Gambia's Ambassador to the United Nations until his recall in the late 90's. He was appointed as Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Defence and later moved to Department of State for Interior where he served until the expiry of his contract.

In 2002, he was appointed as Gambian High Commissioner to Nigeria, the position he held until when he was appointed as Director General of the now National Intelligence Agency (NIA). In October 2007, the late Pa Jallow voluntarily retired on medical grounds.

In his remarks, the elder brother Abu Jallow alias captain Jallow, Ex Director of operations GPA, said, " I am the elder brother, we belong to the same mother and father, to me he was a brother and indeed a very good friend. We had no secrets between us. In actual fact I lost a very good friend and a brother. I can say that he has been a very good citizen." He stated that they did a lot of things together. "I will really miss him. He is the only brother I have from the same father and mother," he added.

For Musa Bittaye, former Secretary of State for Justice, who had been a childhood friend, Pa Jallow had been a very good friend. He said, "We were friends since our school days. I am sorry that we have lost him at this young age, and of course you know the service he has rendered to this country during the First and SecondRepublic. He is a very good man".

Pa Jallow, 63, is survived by two wives and eight children.