Sources told this paper that the deceased was involved in fisticuffs with the soldier during which he sustained serious grievous bodily harms which may have led to his demise. Cole was said to have visited the home of the soldier’s younger brother on the day of the incident.
Second Lieutenant Malick Sanyang told this paper at the Defence headquarters in Banjul on Monday: “We received a report about the death of a civilian allegedly [at the hands of] a solider but the issue is undergoing investigations and we have our military police working in tandem with the police. Whenever the report is out, we will be able to know the facts of the case. Right now, it is an alleged murder case. We are not yet sure. We are waiting for the military police and police to do their findings and get back to us.
“Corporal Lamin Manneh is said to have been involved but we do not know the extent of his involvement. This is yet to be determined and unless and until a comprehensive report comes from the police in collaboration with our military police, we cannot substantiate anything. As of this moment, all I can say is the alleged murder case is undergoing due process of investigations. If we know more, you will also be made to know.”
Aja Maimuna Jallow, the grandmother of the deceased told this paper yesterday: “We are demanding that justice be done in this case. What happened to Demba is very brutal.”
Meanwhile, The Standard has learnt that Demba’s original surname was ‘Kansul’ but he later adopted the mother’s surname Cole.
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