The Kanifing Municipality Regional Council of Elders have expressed concern over the recent spate of killings in The Gambia.
In a letter shared with The Standard, signed by its chairman Alhagie Bafoday Jabbie, the Council of Elders said:
“We would like to extend my greetings to the elders of this country from Kartong to Koina, especially to the council of elders nationwide.
To all the alkalolu of this country, we extend my greetings to you and to all religious elders. We need your prayers for Allah to continue to guide and protect The Gambia.
As reported in the news, there have six (6) murder cases in the month of September alone and looking at all these people who have lost their lives and they are all young people. This country cannot continue to lose her young people. These are people who have benefited this country in terms of development in all forms. The way young people abuse drugs and alcohol is seriously alarming and something needs to be done. I think we all need to be very vigilant about our country. The Gambia is what we have and cannot trade it for anything. We should all work towards achieving the country we want the Gambia to be.
Let’s complement the efforts of the police and make their work easy in tackling drugs and other harmful substances killing our youthful population. We thank you the Gambia Police Force and to all other security forces in the fight against drug trafficking. You are not an enemy of the society but patriotic citizens who love their country.
To His Excellency Adama Barrow, we thank you sincerely for the development you brought in The Gambia. Not to mention the democratic dispensation we are enjoying. We want you to continue supporting the security forces in providing them with sophisticated weapons and mobility to be able to do their work effectively.
With regard to the cost of living in this country, please help us with a mechanism in which there can be price control. The way some businesspeople set prices is very serious.
We know the world is going through a difficult period. The Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war are contributing factors to the hardship globally. Looking at the amount of money government loses in terms of subsides and still things are difficult.
We all need to be responsible citizens and work towards nation building. Democracy comes with rule of law and responsibility and we should all be responsible for our behavior. Let’s support the president in his National Development Plan for a better Gambia.
Every Friday, let’s pray for The Gambia in our mosques or even at home. To our Christian brothers and sisters, pray in your churches for peace to prevail in this country, The Gambia, the Smiling Coast of Africa.”
