A TRRC witness on Monday, Kasamanding Keita, implicates chief of Mansakonko Yahya Jarjusey in her 1 month, 10 days illegal detention.
Kasamanding Keita, a woman mobiliser for the United Democratic Party, has implicated the chief of Mansakonko Yahya Jarjusey and Baba Jobe in her 1 months, 23 days of illegal detention in 2001.
Jarjusey was a strong supporter of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party whereas Baba Jobe was a former militant of the party who was very close to the former president Yahya Jammeh.
Jammeh and Jobe would later fell out, leading to his incarceration on economic crimes charges. He later died while in jail.
Keita was resident in Jarra until she moved to Tallinding which was prompted by her problems with the authorities.
She told the Truth Commission on Monday that she was illegally detained at Janjanbureh prison for 1 month, 10 days. And later she was also illegally detained at Soma Police Station where she was kept for 13 days. In all these detention, she was neither told of her crimes nor charged.
Keita, a strong supporter of the UDP, said her troubles began when she reported to Independent Electoral Commission an electoral malpractices. She said 3 people renting in their compound were foreigners but were given voters cards to vote, a critical problem she reported.
Nothing was done about the electoral malpractice but later she was arrested with 10 other men from the UDP. They were not told what they have done and the court case could not proceed.
Thereafter, she was reportedly arrested on the orders of Chief Jarjusey and taken to Janjanbureh Prison. She was kept there for 1 month, 10 days, without charge, court appearance or access to a lawyer.
She said she was denied visit except for a day by his husband. Following that incident, Keita said she was arrested again and taken to Soma police station on claims that she was reported by an unnamed person.
She spent 13 days in prison at Soma without charge, court appearance or access to a lawyer. And while there, an emissary came to her with money claimed to have come from Baba Jobe. The D30, 000, she said, was brought for her as an inducement to cross-carpet to the APRC but she refused.
“The lady told me that Baba said he knew I will refused the money,” said Keita.
Keita said after that 13 days incident, some boys residing in Baba Jobe’s compound continued to harass her in Soma. She then decided to leave the town for Tallinding.
She said her husband left her because of the illegal detention and frequent trouble with the authorities. Keita is still unmarried, taking care of an adopted son.