By Omar Bah
A former Interior Minister and Special Presidential adviser Mai Ahmad Fatty has called for security officers on duty to be permitted to bear arms at all times even if it is going to be under strict operational terms.
Speaking to The Standard in the aftermath of Tuesday’s killing of two police officers at Sukuta, Fatty who is also the leader of the Gambia Moral Congress added: “Recent events, and indeed, this debilitating straw that broke the camel’s back, must provoke a new milestone in the system and art of policing. Certain categories of officers on duty should now be permitted to bear arms both to protect themselves and the public. It is also imperative to urgently and fundamentally review, adapt, and implement critical reforms in the overall internal security architecture. National security requirements demand our nation to thoroughly reflect outside the box with a view to effectively tackling the new security challenges of the 21st century.”
Fatty condemned the killings calling it a monstrous crime, so ghastly, so vile and pusillanimous against “our country”.
“The murderer, who cut such young lives short without any provocation, must be made to pay severely for murder so foul. The deep trauma inflicted on our nation must not lead to frustration. The resilience of our nation is being tested by the calamitous barrel of a coward’s gun, and our nation shall stand ever strong, united together in grief to rise together to overcome this harrowing menace,” he said.
He expressed his condolences to the families of the fallen heroes, the Gambia Police Force, the government, and the entire Gambian nation.
“I join our nation in solemnity and in unison to mourn the untimely demise of our gallant officers (PC Pateh Jallow and PC Sang Gomez) in the line of duty, ” he said.
