Mam
Jarra Jatta, a daughter of a former senior staff of The Gambia Police Force
(GPF), Kumba Jatta, who testified before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations
Commission (TRRC) on Thursday, said her father deserves a medal from the GPF.
She
narrated how her father was framed a witch during the 2009 witch-hunt
activities orchestrated by former Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh.
She
explained that her father was someone who never took bribe at the time he was
serving the police force, adding that he went to the extent of parking former
President Jawara’s car for moving out without a convoy and a body guard.
Ms.
Jatta testified that her father was born in 1950 at Kaur in the Central River
Region and joined the police in 1970.
She
adduced that her father was a man of jujus; to fight against his enemies
because he was a Balanta and jujus are part of their tradition.
“I
went with him in several places and sometimes when he wanted to shake hands
with someone, they would refuse and remark that they are afraid of him because
of his jujus.”
Explaining
the witch-hunt activities in 2009, she testified that it was one day when his
father closed late from work and she asked him what happened.
She
said her father replied that his jujus were confiscated by some witch-hunters
who came from Guinea.
“He
said as he was in his office, he saw Jesus and RSM Colley with some people with
red dresses, who commanded him to surrender his jujus. He undressed in front of
them and gave them all the jujus except one. He had push and pull with them
until they dragged him into the parade ground and put all his jujus in a nylon
bag and buried them.”
The
witness testified that her father was not happy at the time as he narrated the
incident to her. But when he realised that she too was not happy, he cracked a
joke and said his enemies wanted to humiliate him, but he knew that the orders
given to Jesus were from Jammeh. He said one of the policemen RSM Colley never
liked him.
She
stated that during that night, her mother told them that her father had been
asked to report to Baba Jobe’s compound in either Kotu or Kololi the following
day. She added that they both told him not to go in that early morning, but he
said he was going to make himself clean.
According
to her, when her father arrived at Baba Jobe’s compound, after sometime, he
called but her mother could not communicate with him because his voice was not
normal. “My mother called back and someone picked the phone and said Kumba
cannot speak now.”
“My
sisters Abbie and Mariama Jatta went there and saw him lying on the ground.
They called him and before he answered, the green boys came and said my father
cannot leave the place till the following day because of the medicine that was
given to them.”
Ms.
Jatta indicated that the following day, her sisters went back and picked him
up. She said he was not able to speak well but after some days he started to
speak well.
“He
told me that they were given some medications to drink. He also said that some
people were confessing that they broken down aircrafts and ate some people.”
The
witness continued that her father was weak and later returned to work after
some time; adding that one day as they
were discussing, her father told her that he was going to leave the job because
he was given 365 days leave by The Gambia government.
She,
however, testified that her father later developed sicknesses and he couldn’t
do anything for himself, saying he was admitted in Africmed, Baffrow and
Kanifing hospitals and doctors said that he had hypertension and diabetes.
“Sometimes
if the sickness came to him, we would have to close the compound gate because
he used to run and spend nights in the streets. It went up to a point that some
people used to run away from us because they were seeing our family as
witches.”
She
added that all her father’s friends turned their backs on him after the
incident.
