By Omar Bah
The chairman, Independent Electoral Commission, has issued a strong warning that his family will not take as lightly attempts to grab their Serekunda land.
Alieu Momarr Njai said the land in question, which is opposite the Serekunda mosque, belonged to Ali Jobe, the eldest son of the late Sayerr Jobe who founded Serekunda.
“When he died, it was shared among his three wives. But one of his children, Isatou Jobe, reportedly gave away her share to JC Faye even before the property was shared in the Islamic tradition. But when Isatou Jobe’s children grew up and realised that their mother had given part of her supposed land to JC Faye, they decided to take up the matter,” Njai said.
He said initially, JC Faye was collecting rent from the street vendors selling within that vicinity but he (Njai) and Amadou Samba asked him stop.
“It was later that the family realised JC Faye had sold the land to one Sheriff Hydara. So it was the day Hydara came to bulldoze the structures in the area to build shops he was confronted by the people of Serekunda who are defiant against any attempt to grab the land from its rightful owners,” Njai said.
He said Isatou Jobe has not legally given out her share of the land because at the time, the property was not shared among her mother’s children.
“Now the worrying issue is that Sheriff Hydara is claiming ownership of all the property. How about the other children who are from the same mother and father with Isatou? How is it possible that all the other children will lose? I am the one calming the people of Serekunda down because they are not ready to accept the blatant grabbing of people’s properties,” Njai said.
In the interest of peace, Njai added, the land should return to his family as the rightful owners.
