By Tabora Bojang
The National Assembly Member for Tallinding has described the recent attacks on a fishmeal factory and a police station in Sanyang as “shameful”. The facilities were targeted by youths protesting the killing of a native, Gibril Ceesay by a Senegalese working for the fish meal factory.
Speaking on a National Assembly motion on the incident yesterday, Fatoumatta Jawara called on the youths of Sanyang to remain calm, saying she does not think “the killing of a Gambian has anything to do with such violent acts against” investors and security personnel.
“Burning of foreign investors’ properties and our police station is uncalled for. We all condemn the killing but we should also discourage what the youths have done,” the Tallinding NAM stated.
Jawara also took a swipe at her fellow lawmakers and challenged them to do more to empower the police instead of blaming them.
“This is totally unacceptable and as legislators, we should all condemn any act of violence, stop blame-games and take collective actions because this is a collective responsibility and we cannot blame the government neither the police,” she argued.
Kiang Central NAM, Bakary Camara expressed frustrations over the incident, describing it as an act of “aggravated anger and destruction.”
Camara, who called for vigorous police investigations into the matter, urged the Barrow government to end what he calls “lip-services to youth empowerment.”
“Unlawful killings are becoming common in the country and nothing concrete comes out of them. We must not let the country slip into a jungle nation,” Camara warned.
Jarra Central NAM, Kebba Jallow stated that despite several constraints faced by the youths in the country, “they must not take the law into their hands” to compromise national security.
Sainey Touray of Jarra East, said: “It is the duty of the government to protect its citizens especially when lives are involved. Travesty of justice anywhere is travesty of justice everywhere. I am therefore calling on the government to investigate this matter expeditiously and judiciously.”
Niamina West lawmaker, Omar Ceesay asked if the ongoing security sector reforms are yielding any benefits, given the heightened rates of killings.
“Just recently, 3 people have been deliberately killed in one area in Niamina and this is a region that has an army barracks and a police station. In fact, one of the corpses was found near a police station. I doubt if our security sector reform is yielding any benefits,” he lamented.
