By Olimatou Coker & Tabora Bojang
The Gambia Police Force recorded four suspected murder cases between 29th January to 1st February.
The cases include the killing of the elderly Senegalese marabout Moussa Bâ in Bansang, Nyakassi Jawneh of Wellingara, teenager Fatoumata Bintou Jallow who allegedly murdered her brother Abdou Rahman Jallow in Dippa Kunda, and 21-year-old housewife Haddy Boye who allegedly stabbed her husband Karamo Jobe to death in Sinchu Malado, Central River Region.
Out of the four reported deaths, three are male.
Speaking to The Standard, police spokesman Modou Musa Sisawo said the Serekunda police started investigating the alleged Dippa Kunda murder case on Friday.
“The suspect, Fatoumata Bintou Jallow, 18, has been arrested and is cooperating with investigators in connection with the alleged murder of her brother, Abdou Rahman Jallow, 21. She remains in police custody as the investigation continues.”
He added that as part of the inquiry, police crime scene investigators visited the homicide scene early Saturday morning to reconstruct the scene and gather evidence. “During the process, investigators recovered the suspected murder weapon, a knife,” he revealed.
He said the body of the deceased has been transferred to the main referral hospital in Banjul for postmortem examination.
Regarding the Sinchu Malado case, he said Brikamaba police are investigating and that the murder suspect Haddy Boye, has been arrested, placed in custody and helping the police in their investigation.
PRO Sisawo said crime scene investigators collected evidence at the scene including a knife, believed to have been used in the alleged murder. He said the body of Karamo Jobe has been taken to Bansang Hospital for medical examination.
Spinmeisters
In a recent radio interview, police general Seedy Touray claimed crime rate in the country has been going down south.
When asked about the state of security during an interview with QTV last Friday, President Adama Barrow responded: “We are very concerned but sometimes people look at specific cases or happenings and conclude on security. Security is beyond that. If you look at our statistics most of the time we have about 120, 130 and sometimes below 100 cases a week. There are weeks that we don’t have break-ins at all but when we have a case that is a subject of discussion and debate they [people] just conclude with that case. But the police are doing a very good job.”
He added: “It is our responsibility to protect the people of this country, to protect their lives and to protect their properties. But security is very expensive. It is very expensive to police a system 24 hours [a day]. Our resources are very much limited and that is a challenge. But we have been innovative. We are trying to get a levy for the security so that we can get enough resources to make sure the police are able to do their duty as they want and we will have enough patrols, enough policing in our system, enough men and enough technology.”
