Military Officer Allegedly Kills Old Woman: Justice Minister, Police say they are Unaware

Minister Gomez

Mrs Mariama Ann, a retired cleaner at the department of NGO Affairs met her untimely death on Friday August 26 after a military officer knocked her down with a vehicle at the outskirts of Mile 2 prison, The Daily News can report.
A native of Sinchu Alagie village in West Coast region, the old woman was returning home after paying a visit to her son, a convict who is being jailed at the country’s main prison in Banjul when the military man whose identify is yet to be disclosed ran over her. She died on spot, our sources said.
However, both the Gambia’s minister for Justice and the police spokesperson of The Gambia Police Force said, they are unaware of the tragic incident.
“I am not aware of it. I did not know any details. I can only know if the matter finds itself in the Justice ministry,” Justice Minister Edu Gomez told journalists at his office in Banjul on Tuesday.
He added: “We have nothing to hide. Only evil people do hide. We are open and people should not have feeling that we are autocratic.”
The spokesperson of The Gambia Armed Forces was unavailable for comment as he was said to be attending a training programme at Fajara army barracks.
The director of NGO Affairs, who had asked journalists to return yesterday when they first called on him was also said to be attending a meeting at the president’s office.
However, a senior Gambian lawyer Antoumana Gaye told The Daily News that, the imam of State House, Abdoulie Fatty, Imam Ratib of Banjul and two other military officers have paid condolence to the deceased’s family.
“Late Mariama is a relative [of mine] and the family thinks that it is too early to discuss the issue, but we are not going to negotiate the matter,” said lawyer Gaye.