The arrests are linked to a contested parcel of land situated between Mbolbuck and the neighbouring village of Sare Nga Jallowlubeh, with residents of Mbolbuck standing their ground, insisting that the disputed land rightfully belongs to their community.
The seven individuals allegedly arrested were: Daddy Kandeh, Juldeh Kandeh, Momodou Kandeh, Batch Kandeh, Ebrima Kandeh, Juldeh Kandeh, and Samba Kandeh, all being held at the Kuntuar Police Station at the time of going to press.
Residents of Mbolbuck village have vehemently denied allegations from the neighbouring community of Sare Nga Jallowlubeh, claiming that some of the seven individuals arrested in the ongoing land dispute were armed with guns or other weapons during their visit to the disputed farm.
Describing the accusations as “entirely false and deeply misleading,” villagers insisted the claims are a calculated move by opposing parties to escalate tensions and influence law enforcement to detain their people unjustly.
Demba Kandeh, a native of Mbolbuck village, has described the recent arrests of seven villagers over a land dispute as “deeply unfortunate”, insisting that the detentions were unjust and based on misinformation.
Speaking to our reporter in an exclusive interview, Kandeh asserted: “I can clearly tell you that my village has been farming on that disputed land for over 50 years. For decades, the other side had never claim to it. Yet, quite surprisingly, they have only just begun to assert ownership in recent years.”
“What hurts us most is the false claim that our boys went to the farm with weapons. I can assure you not a single one of them carried even a cutlass, let alone a gun. In fact, they were arrested after they had already returned to the village and were simply waiting to head back to the farm later that evening to continue cultivation.”
Kandeh also questioned the credibility of statements made by the alkalo of the neighbouring village, saying: “To our dismay, the alkalo accompanied the police and was pointing out individuals, saying, ‘this one had a gun’, ‘that one was in the farm’ without any proof whatsoever. It’s deeply saddening,” he postulated.
He went on to add that the opposing village is claiming to possess a document purportedly proving their ownership of the disputed land. However, he was quick to cast doubt on its validity, saying: “In fact, that document has been tampered with as there are recent additions written in it. Therefore, it cannot be considered authentic,” he explained.
“At the start of the rainy season, our people went to clear our farmland, just as the inhabitants of the other village did with theirs. However, on Saturday, the people of Jallowlubeh went to land that had already been cleared by our villagers and proceeded to cultivate groundnuts on it. In response, our people returned to the same land and began ploughing over it.”
The alkalo of Sare Nga Jallowlubeh village, Alhagie Nofon Jallow, who was also contacted for comment, confirmed the incident. However, he was quick to add that the disputed land belongs to his community, citing a 1973 document which, he claimed, proves their rightful ownership.
“The disputed land was once officially demarcated by the late District Chief Dudou Ndow and his court members, who granted us ownership. Since then, we have been farming the area without interruption,” he explained.
While acknowledging that Mbolbuck village was established before his own, he firmly maintained that the land in question rightfully belongs to Sare Nga Jallowlubeh, adding: “Since the founding of our village by my grandfather, Jaraf Kandeh, we have farmed in that area without issue. The people of Mbolbuck had migrated to Cassamance and only recently returned, finding us already cultivating the land,” he stated.
He further alleged that tensions escalated after he declared his community’s continued ownership of the farmland: “They took the matter to the district chief and the regional governor, but all those authorities reaffirmed that the land belongs to us, especially since we have documents supporting our claim.”
Alkalo Jallow noted: “To our surprise, after we cultivated groundnuts on the farm, the Mbolbuck villagers returned and ploughed over the same land, destroying our crops. I then reported the matter to the police, and they were subsequently arrested.”
