Alieu Badara takes TRRC through journalism’s trouble times of Jammeh era

By MOMODOU JARJU

Former freelance journalist, Alieu Badara Sowe, has revealed to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) the troubles he endured in his profession under the reign of ex-President Yahya Jammeh.

Like previous journalists who testified before the Commission, Mr. Sowe shared the trials and tribulations he endured while in the field of journalism under the repressive rule of ex-President Jammeh.

Mr. Sowe, who worked with The Point and Daily Observer newspapers, said when the military takeover in 1994, journalism changed in the country forever as tolerance ended, saying the junta banned all political parties, most of the politicians were incarcerated and others went on “political holiday.”

He added that the junta was not tolerance to press freedom which made it difficult for the media to function effectively.

Hailed from Numukunda, North Bank Region of The Gambia, Mr. Sowe who currently livwa in the United Kingdom said while at The Point, in May of 1996 he was arrested with Bruce Asemota, a Nigerian journalist then reporting for the Daily Observer.

He said he wrote a story about the Inspector General of Police (IGP), F.R.I Jammeh, at the time, summoning the Commanding Officer of the Fraud Division of the police over money that was kept as exhibit which went missing at the police headquarters.

Sowe added that part of the money said to be missing was, a sum of $2, 200 was remitted to a freelance journalist of the Daily Observer called Fatoumata Mahoney, a Sierra Leone national who later became Fatoumata Jallow.

“So I investigated and publish that story and nothing was said or done about it and till a week after, on May 6, Bruce wrote a story about police’s head being reshuffled and some officers being reassigned as a consequence of what was published the previous week,” he said.

Mr. Sowe said he was in Banjul on this day where he heard the arrest of his colleague, Bruce and that plain officers from the police went to look for him at The Point newspaper.

He left Banjul for Bakau at his newspaper where he consequentially met one of the plain-cloth officers who was about to leave their office who eventually took him to the Bakau Police Station.

He said Deyda Hydara, co-proprietor of The Point newspaper and reporter Ansumana Badjie followed them to the police.

He said Hydara and Badjie were asked to leave the station because they were not needed, which was heeded.

Few hours later in detention at the police station, Sowe said he was moved to Banjul at the office of the IGP, F.R.I Jammeh.

“I was left just me and him in his office and he said to me, ‘you know there are lot of enemies in this police force who are trying to undermine my position so this story you wrote last week… this information must have come from somebody very close to me and you must tell me this person’ and I said to him that’s strictly against the principle of our profession, we do not involve in divulging our sources,” explained the former broadcaster at Sud FM.

The former secretry general of Gambia Press union (GPU) said IGP Jammeh then called the officers into the office and asked them to lock him up because he refused to corporate but still refused to reveal his sources despite all pressure from the officers.

The 1999 best investigative journalist awardee in the country said the situation at the Banjul police station was not conducive, saying the place was so crammed.

Having spent two weeks at the station before he was released on a bail bond of D25, 000 which The Point newspaper took care of, Aliew Badar said he was not charged.

He said he was among the journalists in the country targeted for the stories he wrote that were seen critical and as a result he had to flee the country to Senegal for about 6 months before returning home and joined The Point.

“In May of 2000, I went to attend an annual training program for young African journalists in Cairo, Egypt. Is a month-long program. On my return, I was informed that the Daily Observer has now changed hands and the ownership of the paper had gone from Kenneth Best and to Amadou Samba.”

Mr. Sowe said he found the paper’s morale at rock-bottom because of the change, noting that the news editor who they all trusted, Demba Ali Jawo was the first casualty sacked and Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow who was the editor-in-chief resigned in protest.

He said he wanted to leave at the time but Sariang Ceesay, the managing director of the paper, assured him that his independence as a journalist would be respected but this was far from the truth.

Thereafter, he was promoted to a sub-editor to retain him and sacked in July 1, 2000 because he was critical of the government and eventually left the country for the UK.

The Monitor

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