Following a hunger strike lasting forty-four hours to protest his detention without charge, Sheriffo Baiyo Sonko has decided to conclude his hunger strike. It has been reported that he initially declined to end his hunger strike, despite pleas from Aji Yam Secka and other individuals. However, he relented when the party leader and secretary general of the United Democratic Party arrived and appealed to him to consume sustenance.
In our conversation with Baiyo, he confirmed that he had to put an end to his hunger strike when his party leader, whom he holds in high esteem, visited him and earnestly implored him to have some nourishment. He explained that he initiated the hunger strike as a form of protest against his incarceration in a cell without any formal charges, rather than being held in a designated detention area, and being deprived of the ability to communicate with his family.
“Pabi (Ousainu Darbo) came to see me and pleaded with me to eat something in his presence. I feel obligated to honor what he asked of me.”
Baiyo Sonko, the nominated Councillor for Transport at Brikama Area, was invited for questioning by the police on Friday afternoon and has been in detention without charges since. According to sources, Sonko was questioned about a complaint reportedly filed against him by two Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officers. The complaint is still under investigation, and Sonko was detained for further questioning at the Kanifing police station over the weekend.
Our sources have revealed that the investigative panel that interviewed Sonko when he first arrived at the Kairaba police station told him that Badou Jeng and Malick Saine, both PIU officers, filed the complaint, alleging that Sonko’s recent Facebook posts had instilled fear for their safety and the safety of their families.
As we go to press, no charges have been filed against Baiyo Sonko or Momodou Sabally, who was also detained without charges at the Kairaba police station over the weekend.