By Alagie Manneh
Another corpse has become the latest to be excavated from the grave in a recent series of mysterious exhumations in Bakau.
Tuesday’s disinterment came barely a week after the body of an old woman was exhumed in the same cemetery.
Police gave chilling accounts Tuesday evening saying the shroud of the old woman was taken away.
“The body was found uncovered,” police PRO Superintendent Njie told The Standard yesterday.
He said police are probing the matter.
PRO Njie did not confirm Tuesday’s exhumation but the deputy imam of Bakau’s central mosque, Saikou Sonko corroborated the development.
“The grave has been dug except this time round, they did not entirely remove the body,” he told The Standard.
It is not clear whose grave it was.
The deputy imam said the body was promptly reburied, but warned: “It [the exhumations] is a new trend we expect to continue unless security is put up here.”
He said in the recent past, there were reports that some children of the coastal town have been asked by “some men in pickup vehicles” near the cemetery whether the people of Bakau have buried any dead on the day.
“No one knows where they came from. That is why we must investigate and find out because clearly, there is something behind this issue,” the deputy imam said.
He urged those with knowledge of the cases to come forward and speak out.
“This petrified us because he who does not honour your dead, does not honour you. The prophet said whatever affects the living, affects the dead. We urge those who know to come forward now,” deputy imam Sonko appealed.
He said there was another exhumation that was “done secretly and was never known” to the people.
The councillor of Bakau, Lamin Dibba, condemned the latest exhumation and disclosed that plans are afoot to light the cemetery with energy bulbs that will help prevent intrusion of the sacred place.
“We have received 50 energy street lights donated by BB Net. We will talk with compound owners to have the lights installed in the cemetery instead of the streets,” he said.
He said this will improve the security of the cemetery.
Councillor Dibba, who described the situation as “a great concern”, called for concerted efforts as this might be just the beginning of the start of something new.
Meanwhile, the police said they are urging residents of the coastal town to volunteer information.
“We urge the people of Bakau to help us put a stop to these things,” the PRO appealed.
