A group of five people living in Farato village, Kombo
South, Western Region, has recently petitioned the Secretary of State for Local
Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, in connection to a seemingly emerging
land dispute between them and Ahmadiyya Muslim authorities. The issue of land
dispute, especially within the Western Region, has in recent months been the
subject of series of cases in the courts.
In a letter dated 5thJune 2008, made available to this paper, the five, Ousman Foon, Samba Jallow, Ansu Dibba, Brikama Drammeh and Saloum Baldeh, claim that the Ahmadiyya authorities have encroached on a piece of land they had legally acquired. They alleged that the Ahmadiyya people made a serious extension on the piece of land sold to them by one Abu Denden Njie in 2001, thus trespassing into their land.
According to them, the matter had reached the office of the then Commissioner of Western Division who ordered the Ahmadiyya people to immediately cease occupation of the area in question, and advised the five to carry on whatever development they might have planned. But the Ahmadiyya people refused to honour the Commissioner's decision, and have since been doing everything possible to take ownership of the said piece of land.
"Sir, these Ahmadiyaa people are potential architects of danger and unless something is done to prevent the possibility of an unfortunate situation, there is always room for danger in the near future.
"This time around if they strike on us we would also strike back. We are prepared to withstand their threat anytime, anyhow although our actions could only come to surface only when the relevant authorities fail the endeavour to bring to a halt the advances of the Ahmadiyya people on our piece of land," they stated.
