Seven
people armed with gun have robbed Hajo Jarra Pharmacy in Essau village early
hours of Friday morning, between the hours of 02:00 to 03:30, residents said.
The
pharmacy is located opposite Essau health centre along Barra-Amdalai
Highway. It is just about 200 metres
from the military base in Essau and approximately 150 metres from the Essau
police checkpoint.
The
pharmacy owner, Jimmy Coker, said though no one died, the watchman was
“seriously beaten” and currently admitted at Essau health centre.
Also,
the armed robbers broke the safe in the pharmacy and went away with cash amount
of at least D10,000, he said.
Momodou
Jallow, the watchman, said the armed robbers came to the pharmacy on foot and
it was seven of them.
“One
of them scaled over the fence, entered the compound and called out my name,
saying ‘Momodou Jallow be prepared for us because today we will kill you’. He (the robber) started to kick me at my ribs
but I also managed to stab him with my knife at his ribs and that was when the
others rushed to me and started to hit me.
“I
managed to escape and ran to the army camp when the armies arrived and they
started to exchange gunshots.”
Jallow
sustained series of injuries on his head and other parts of his body.
Mr Coker, the pharmacy owner, said: “I was not around when the armed
robbers came; I was at Serekunda health centre but my daughter, Anna Coker,
who was in the compound in Essau called me, saying ‘dad please help me alarm
the police; I can’t talk that much, there are armed robbers in the compound
right now.’”
“I
phoned Barra police station but could not get through the line. I then called one of my friends who is an
immigration officer at Denton Bridge to help contact Barra station.
“But
he called back to say Barra police said they did not have fuel to go to the
scene. Later, my daughter managed to
call one of her ECOMIG (Ecowas soldiers in Gambia) friends who, together with
some Gambian soldiers, came to rescue them but the moment they arrived, they
started to exchange gunshots with the armed robbers.”
‘Swift
police response’
However,
the public relations officer of the police said as soon as Barra police station
received information about the armed robbery, the men prepared and left for the
scene.
“When
Barra station got the information, some officers prepared and left for the
scene but when the robbers saw them coming, they fired at them,” PRO Inspector
Foday Conta said. “Because the police
had no gun, they had to take cover, meaning they hide so that the bullet would
not hit them. They then called the
military.”
However,
he confirmed that by the time the police arrived, the armed robbers were
apparently done – they had broken the safe and taken the money already.
He
continued: “But the coming of the police
delayed the departure of the armed robbers, they could not go out because maybe
they were not sure whether the police were armed or not. When the police took cover, they called the
army and when the soldiers came, there was exchange of fire between them and
the armed robbers.
“But
unfortunately, because of the darkness of the night, the robbers left the scene
and the army could not trace them.”
Conta
said at the scene, the police recovered unspecified number of empty bullet case
of single barrel gun (local gun) which was used by the armed robbers and empty
bullet case of AK47 that was used by the men of the armed forces.
One
of the robbers, he said, was injured as evidenced by the bloodstain after the
attackers left.
“The
police tried to follow the bloodstain but it could not lead them to anywhere
and so far, no suspect has been arrested,” the police PRO said.
