By Tabora Bojang
The Inspector General of Police has yesterday visited Brikama, the scene of chaos on Monday as police and vendors clashed over the demolition of stalls deemed to be obstructing the roads.
The melee dragged in the Brikama Area Council officials who have been critical of certain aspects of the demolition exercise in the market.
IGP Seedy Touray met officials at a meeting attended by members of the National Human Rights Commission and other stakeholders to resolve the problem.
Following discussions with BAC officials, IGP Touray advised Operation Clear the Roads leader Bakary Manneh to temporarily allow vendors to sell until after the Tobaski feast by which time the new road built by the Council will be ready for use.
“We need to be flexible with the situation. The Tobaski is fast approaching and people are trying to sell to support their families, so we will have to allow them. But you have [chairman Darboe] to give us the assurance that immediately after the prayers, they should vacate this place,” IGP Touray told the meeting.
Also addressing the meeting, police commissioner Pateh Jallow, the acting AIG of operations, said the disturbances that erupted in the market could have been averted if there was dialogue between the Council and members of the operation.
“Operation clear the road is not an operation to kill the markets or garages but only to clear the roads to make them accessible and free for people to move and so people should not bring goods and put them on the roads,” he advised.
Commissioner Jallow also urged the leader of the operation Mr Manneh to engage stakeholders in dialogue to avert such problems. “We cannot leave the chairmans and mayors out of this exercise, so let us engage them in dialogue.”
BAC chairman Yankuba Darboe expressed pleasure with the dialogue, adding that the vendors will now be at peace doing their businesses in preparation for the Tobaski.
