Former NIA Admits Killing Of Migrants As Cover-Up For National Shame Instead Of National Security

By Buba Gagigo

Ebrima Drammeh, fondly referred to Jim Drammeh, Director of Operations at the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG), has admitted before the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that the killing of West African migrants was meant to cover-up a national shame instead of national security.

Jim, former Director of Internal Security and Operations at the infamous National Intelligence Agency [NIA] reappeared at the commission in connection to his membership of the taskforce constituted by The Gambia Government to help ECOWAS/UN investigations into the killings.

At some point during his testimony, TRRC Lead Counsel Faal told Drammeh that all of the members of the taskforce knew that they were wallowing in deliberate falsehood; which Drammeh did agree with.

“I want to make known to this Commission that during the constitution of that taskforce, they were not to investigate, but to serve as Focal Persons for the government to provide the necessary answers to the UN fact finding mission,” Drammeh said.

Then, Counsel Faal told him that the NIA investigated the disappearance of the migrants in November, 2007 when Mr. Drammeh was Director of Operations; but he said that he was not privy to this information.

He admitted that it was false when the NIA wrote in a report that the allegations made by the Ghanaians authorities lacked substance. Also, the said investigation report, the NIA, recommended for the killings of migrants, be downplayed in the interest of national security.

However, Drammeh said the move by the NIA was a blatant lie, but Faal described it as a cover-up for a national shame and not national security, which he [Drammeh] finally agreed with.