By Buba Gagigo
Information reaching Kerr Fatou from family members and friends in Sanyang has it that the youth who were arrested and charged in relation to the violent protest are still in the custody of the Police; after being discharged by Brikama Magistrates’ Court.
“The 22 Sanyang youth who were arraigned at Brikama Magistrates’ Court, and subsequently discharged by the Magistrate are still in the custody of the police at the Anti-Crime headquarters. It’s more than 72hrs since the Magistrate discharged them, the police did not release them; nor did they re-charge them,” a family member told Kerr Fatou.
The stabbing to death of a 30-year-old Gibril Ceesay in Sanyang earlier this month allegedly by a Senegalese, sparked a violent protest in the Kombo South settlement. During the protest, police fired teargas at protestors and the army briefly deployed troops. But no immediate arrests were made at that time.
On another day, the police returned to the town and arrested those suspected of committing various crimes during the protests.
The recent preliminary assessment of property damage revealed that 13 fishing boats; 9 boat engines; and 5, 273 fishing nets were allegedly burnt by the protesters. While, cash amounting to about D8 million; CFA 1 million and five-hundred thousand; and Thirty-four thousand Chinese Renmini ( RMB 34,000) are suspected to have been looted from Nessim Fish Meal processing plant and individual residents at the coastal town.