Yunusa
O.S. Ceesay from Njau village, yesterday testified before the TRRC revealing
that he was part of an Islamic religion sect that does not observe the five
daily prayers as advised by their marabout leader Shiekh Muhammadu Habiboulai
Secka alias Ndigal.
Ceesay,
a management information system and networking expert, explained his
relationship with Kerr Mamat Ali, saying his mother came from their clan and at
that time, the head of the village was his grandfather.
He
testified that during his visit to Kerr Mamat Ali, he used to meet a marabout
called Muhammadu Habiboulai Secka alias Ndigal who would help him with some
charms whenever he was to sit for exams.
“The
marabou’s father was Sheikh Basirou Secka who established Touba Saloum, Touba
Secken, Bondali and Kerr Mamat Ali, and his son Ndigal was asked to stay at
Kerr Mamat Ali in 1982 till he died in 1998.”
He
said the marabout was a spiritual leader and his way of worshiping Allah, after
the third day of ‘Tobaski’ Eid, was to have a Ziyareh (visit) by preaching to
his followers about Islam. He added that the marabout’s fundamental way of
teaching Islam was about the true path to Allah, which simply means
strengthening oneness of Allah.
He
said they don’t observe the five daily prayers but do fast, do Zikar which they
believe is the highest form of worshiping Allah.
“In
the other way of worshiping Allah, we used to Zikar while calling Allah’s name
and clapping.”
He
said he was connected with the marabout because he used to conduct research
about God since his childhood. He added that the marabout used to help him in
whatever he wanted.
“Ndigal
was followed by more than 5, 000 people because others used to come from
satellite villages. We used to submit ourselves to him and swear our
allegiance. In doing so, we used to give him about D2 or so and he would pray
for us. All the villagers were his followers.”
He
informed that their sect is from muridism in Senegal, which he said they are
more of Bai Faal than any other religious sect. He added that they stopped
praying and focus only on Zikar.
Witness
testified that they believed Ndigal is the one who replaced Shiekh Ahmadou
Bamba in the world and is the leader of the present generation.
Ceesay
indicated that their corpse can be only buried during evening time at 8 p.m. In
terms of initiating marriages, he further stated that their bride price is from
the word ‘Nurr’, meaning light, which gives around D23, 000 as the bride price
and women do chose their own husbands.
In
a daily newspaper article dated October 2002, which was showed to him,
indicating that a self proclaimed God had been arrested by the police. This was
his (witness) marabou Ndigal. He, however, said that was a serious allegation
against their sect.
Counsel
Faal asked him whether Ndigal had ever proclaimed to be God? He, however,
replied in negative.
Asked
whether they have a similar Kaba and Zamzam (water) as the case of Makka, he
said they have a praying place in the bush and a well called Rahmatulahi, which
contains spiritual water that can be used for healings.
