A veteran Gambian politician said when power consumes people as it did to former dictator Yahya Jammeh, it renders them inhumane.
Lamin Waa Juwara, a one-time United Democratic Party strongman, said a former Jammeh supporter Baba Jobe broke his arm and fingers in a tussle at Denton Bridge.
Juwara, the 16th witness before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission, and the Imam of Brikama Karamo Touray were arrested and taken to Mile for an unspecified reason.
As they were being drove to Mile 2, Juwara said Baba Jobe and a crowd of young people stopped them at Denton Bridge. He engaged them in a fight and Jobe broke his arm and his fingers.
“The group attacked me and Imam Karamo Touray at around the (Denton) Bridge. I came down to defend myself and in the fight, he broke my hand and fingers. I heard Baba Jobe and some of them saying let’s killed them,” said Juwara.
Juwara said it was the military personnel who were stationed at the Bridge that saved him. He was neither charged for a crime nor was he processed at Mile 2 upon arrival.
“At the time Baba Jobe can do whatever he likes,” added Juwara. Baba was a Jammeh supporter credited with the founding of the Green Youths, a bunch of thugs who were attacking people who were or perceived to be in disagreement with the former dictator.
Jobe died at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital following a brief illness in 2011.
“Jammeh wants to have Gambians obeying him and not to say no and when you have people not saying no to you, you don’t only become a dictator, you become inhumane… That was what happened to Jammeh,” said Juwara.
Juwara was arrested multiple times under the former ruler. Juwara was appointed minister in 2012 and fired seven months later.
The veteran politician was charged to court for abuse of office after his sacking but he was later acquitted and discharged.