It is now more than four months since Imam Baba Leigh disappeared into thin air. Since then, several theories have been advanced for his disappearance.
Some say he was picked up by plainclothes officers in his compound on 3rd December 2012. Whatever the case may be, we believe that his continued disappearance is an infringement of his rights.
However, like the case of journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh, we want to be less pessimistic, and to be more optimistic.
We secretly hope that Imam Baba Leigh is somewhere taking in all that is happening, and that one day fate will surprise us by bringing him out onto the streets of Banjul again.
It is this hope that has led us to revisit the Imam Baba Leigh case.
He is not only a religious leader, but he is also a bona fide citizen of The Gambia.
It is, therefore, incumbent on the state to use all the resources at its disposal to find him, and put to rest all the speculation about his whereabouts.
We believe that all the calls for Imam Baba Leigh to be produced are in the national interest.
We believe that the legislative body being the National Assembly, which is composed of the representatives of the people, should be in the forefront of speaking out against acts such as disappearances of citizens of this country.
It is our view that the National Assembly owes it to the people of The Gambia to initiate a debate on the disappearance of Imam Baba Leigh.
That will be a way of taking the cases to the national level where they will get the sort of attention they deserve. When citizens disappear inexplicably, or get murdered in cold blood, then nobody is safe.
If it can happen to Imam Baba Leigh, Chief Manneh among others, then it can also happen to anyone of us.
Fighting for Imam Baba Leigh is no longer just a religious affair; it is a national matter because he is a citizen of this country who has disappeared in mysterious circumstances for more than four months now.
It is our belief that even if he had done anything wrong, his whereabouts should be made known, especially to his family members.
“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”
Abraham Lincoln
