By Omar Bah
The APRC deputy spokesperson has described as “unfounded and ridiculous” Sillaba Samateh’s testimony at the TRRC that he helped carry three boxes containing babies meant for sacrifice for ex-president Yahya Jammeh.
The Gambian businessman said the babies were taken from hospitals and used for rituals.
TRRC lead counsel, Essa Faal pressed Sillaba: “You know the seriousness of these accusations. That the president of this country was taking babies from hospitals and taking them to Kanilai for human sacrifice.”
Samateh was held at the NIA on drug trafficking charges. He later jumped bail and fled to Holland.
He claimed that while at the NIA, he was often asked to pick up dead bodies and put them in body bags.
But reacting to the allegations in a Standard exclusive, Dodou Jah rebutted: “That story doesn’t hold water – give me five minutes with Sillaba Samateh and I will prove to the whole world that he is lying. How can a lead counsel even accept such bogus stories?”
“If these allegations were true, where are the parents of those kids? They have relatives, knowing for example, my wife is pregnant, goes to the hospital to deliver, we are expecting a baby. Even if my wife happens to pass away, if the family doesn’t see the baby, the hospital is responsible. These are serious issues that cannot go under the carpet. But it is baffling that nobody complained or no media house heard of it.”
Jah said Samateh’s claims should not be treated seriously, arguing that TRRC witnesses should tell the truth and stop making baseless allegations against Jammeh just for the sake of tarnishing his image.
“Jammeh could not have done that without anyone noticing it. It is completely strange. Some stories are so cheap to accept – nobody in any part of the world will accept such stories. But you know when the TRRC wants to buy into your stories, they keep asking irrelevant questions,” he said.
Jah said if there is “any iota of truth in what Sillaba said, Gambians who lost their babies or the hospitals should come out and request for answers.”
“Yes, I know the TRRC involves the former president. But it should not be about Jammeh and APRC or else the commission will not serve its purpose. But no matter what they try to tarnish the image of former president Jammeh and APRC, they would be wasting their time and money. They cannot bring us down,” Jah said.
He urged the government to look beyond witch-hunting people. “If we have a country to build, it should be done collectively without discrimination”.
