By Olimatou Coker
In a bid to combat irregular migration, The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) on Friday morning announced it intercepted a migrant boat laden with 55 people heading to the Canary Islands.
Speaking to The Standard on the latest development, GID deputy spokesman Inspector Muhammad Bah, said of those found on the boat, 30 are Senegalese, 20 Gambians, three Bangladeshis and two Bissau-Guineans with four females and minors.
He said the boat set sail from Diana in Casamance and stopped at Kartong to pick up more people, each of whom paid between D40,000 to D50,000 as ocean voyage fare.
“The Gambia immigration operatives at the coastal belt are more active than ever before to curb the menace of irregular migration. We are not against migration as an institution but we advocate for safe, regular and order migration. That’s the principle of migration globally”.
He revealed that three of the four smugglers have been apprehended.
