Explaining his involvement, Mr. Loum testified that in March 2006, late Sgt. Ndure from the Serious Crimes Unit of The Gambia Police Force called him to become an independent witness to sign the accused person's statement. Loum said he told Ndure that he was not a security officer but Ndure asked him to just do it.
He added that he went to the NIA and found five military men with AK-47 guns, saying at the beginning, he was scared at the sight of the guns.
"I met Lamin Cham who called an accused person and told him that I was going to witness the writing of his statement, which he agreed. I was an independent witness for Alieu Jobe, Fareng Sanyang, Bunja Darboe, Wassa Camara, Yahya Darboe, Tamsir Jasseh and others but I couldn't recall them."
He told the commission that he was never paid for his services as independent witness. He added that it was only Sgt. Ndure who gave him fare to travel back to Barra.
The witness further told the commission that after the incident, he was called at Justice Department to refund the money he used to spend on transportation. He said he was given D250 as refund for his expenditure.
Loum, however, denied witnessing any torture or use of force on the accused persons to write their statements.
At that juncture, Counsel Faal told him that he was part of those who led the witch hunters to Barra and he was working and threatening people as an NIA agent. However, the witness denied leading the witch hunters but even though he was not an NIA agent, he used to relate information to the NIA, if he thought it could be harmful to the nation.
He further admitted signing 32 statements for 12 accused persons and had been a witness in court proceedings from 2006 to 2012.
In a small village of Palang Toro in Niani District of Central River Region lived a 28-year-old school drop-out. He was born and bred there.
The village was almost deserted of able-bodied men, particularly those in the age-bracket of 25 – 35 years. They took the ‘backway’ – a popular local Gambian parlance for irregular migration to Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean seas.
Three residents of Bwiam village have denied committing the murder of Baba Sanyang, a 21-year-old boy.
Residents of Brikama in the Kombo Central District, West Coast Region have complained over what they called unpleasant stagnant water on their roads and streets owing to poor roads and lack of proper sewage system in the community.
The National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has mourned the demise of the late legendry kora player, Tatadinding Jobarteh, who died in Brikama Saturday, 21st August, 2021 at the age of 56.
