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Momodou
Denmark
11516 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Mar 2019 : 08:14:49
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Pushed under the rug hoping that its forgotten.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2019 : 22:51:55
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Not Foroyaa has taken the pulse but THE POINT is very interested,and rightly so.
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Thursday, April 04, 2019
Gambians from different walks of life have reacted to the recent conclusion of the police investigation into the importation of guns by a private security firm (GACH).
Police discovered that a consignment of guns discovered at the Banjul seaport on 9 January, 2019, belonged to GACH Security Company.
However, the police after a two-month investigation into the matter concluded that the proprietor of the company was innocent of any wrongdoing on the grounds that the said weapons were meant for hunting.
Recall: In the wake of the discovery of 13 suspicious weapons out of a total of 1,263 pieces of firearms packed in 252 boxes, The Gambia Police Force immediately launched an investigative panel to make a definitive determination, if the said weapons were indeed hunting guns as alleged by the importer Mr. Abubakary Jawara, or conventional weapons of warfare beyond the limits of his legally acquired hunting guns licence, through the Office of the Inspector General of Police, according to police in the aftermath of the investigation.
Ebrima A. Cham, a student at the University of The Gambia told The Point that any time the issue of guns is mentioned; more so in a country that has never heard of the importation of firearms for sale by a private company, attentions of the public can never be at comfort.
Despite the conclusion of police investigation that the weapons are tested and cleared of posing any harm to the public as they are purposely meant for hunting wild animals, it should only be in the hands of the national security forces and not any private individual or company for the purpose of hunting wild animals.
“So how I see it is that serious investigation should be launched by the police and ballistic arms experts and the State Intelligence Service (SIS) to make sure that those guns are not just only mere conclusions of investigation and that they are safe guns. Serious actions has to be taken to probe into the matter and make sure that those guns are in safe hands and use for their rightful purpose or again investigate in detail the main objective of bringing these guns into the country. So it should not be an ordinary investigation on the whole issue knowing that Gambians are still not in safe environment in selling of such guns without final investigation result from the security forces”.
For Sanna Saho, a nurse, it is true that there are people in the country who are still having guns in their possessions, further arguing that such guns should be well controlled and be monitored by the government in making sure they are in safe hands.
He acknowledged that globally guns are sometimes kept for individual security reasons and that The Gambia is not an exception. But, he added that it cannot be an exception as there is need for such arms to be legally under the thorough observation of the government.
“All guns that are locally made or are said to be legally imported should be lawfully allowed to individuals so that responsibility can be taken by those people who might do any illegal actions using such weapons against their very regulations as stated in the Act.”
“Just look at the recent fatal scenario involving the communities of Gunjur and Berending, where a locally made rifle was used to take away the life of an individual. Was there any effort done to know whether that gun was certified to use or not?” he added.
Author: Yusupha Jobe
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gambians-react-to-outcome-of-police-gun-investigation
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Momodou
Denmark
11516 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jul 2020 : 13:51:22
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NAMs blast firearm importer for violating gun laws
Standard: July 15, 2020
By Momodou Darboe & Mafugi Ceesay
https://standard.gm/nams-blast-firearm-importer-for-violating-gun-laws/
Some law-makers on Tuesday accused a famous Gambian business tycoon Abubacar Jawara of importing firearms into the country without observing the terms and conditions of the exportation license.
It would be recalled that the police in 2018 intercepted a container of 1263 guns at the ports in Banjul after which the government sanctioned an investigation through the National Assembly Select Committee on Defense and Security.
On Tuesday, the committee presented its report to the National Assembly where it received mixed reactions from members some of whom recommended tougher gun laws whilst others rallied support behind the GACH, saying the company is not guilty of any violations in bringing hunting guns into the country.
In his contribution to the debate on the assembly’s report on GACH 2018 gun saga, the member for Kombo South, Kebba K. Barrow sounded the alarm bell that proliferation of small arms in the country should be a cause for concern to all citizens, considering the fact that the country is still reeling from 22 years of dictatorship.
The majority leader went on to explain that the modus operandi of GACH must be clearly spelt out in its article of association/memorandum of understanding to explicitly indicate which business operations it could undertake as the CEO of the company currently has three business entities.
Suwaibou Touray of Wuli West reminded the House of the seizure of a container of firearms in Nigeria destined for The Gambia but under a false registration, saying the country must draw lessons from this.
The member for Kantora, Billay G. Tunkara, told the House that the license issued to GACH to import firearms into the country was contentious in scope and mode because it was a ‘blanket’ license. This, he argued, calls for a review of the 2009 Firearms Act to ensure the importation of firearms into the country is properly regulated.
Earlier on Monday, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice informed the National Assembly that GACH has been granted operational license by the prescribed authority to import firearms without ttached terms and conditions and therefore it could not find prima facie evidence to establish that the importer committed an offense by importing arms into the country.
But some lawmakers have been interrogating whether the intent of the license commensurates with the guns imported.
In her contribution to the GACH report, Fatoumatta K. Jawara of Tallinding said the license issued to GACH was a blanket one which does not stipulate the specification and quality of the arms. She said the company was authorized to import firearms and the ballistics examinations have shown that the arms were for hunting purposes.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly member for Lower Baddibu, Alagie Jawara, has urged both the defense and interior ministries to give explanation on the whereabouts of the 63 hunting guns that were confiscated from the GACH company.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has rejected a request by government to extend the state of emergency for 45 days.
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2020 : 17:35:09
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NOT A GOOD IDEA !
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https://standard.gm/nam-wants-border-villagers-to-be-armed-against-robbers/
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By Momodou Darboe July 16, 2020
The vulnerability of Gambian border communities to armed attacks has forced a law-maker to make calls for the arming of the civilian population in those settlements to enable them take ownership of their security.
Gambian border settlements are proned to armed robberies and in some cases, livestock and substantial cash got carted away by bandits.
In an apparent show of despair and loss of confidence in the ability of the state to guarantee the lives and property of border settlers, the legislative representative for Sami constituency in the Central River Region on Monday told the House that rural Gambians on the borders require guns to fend off armed attacks.
“Definitely, we the rural people want hunting guns, especially those at the border. Every year, bandits attack my people. There was even a day when they came in broad daylight and opened fire,” Sami’s Sainey Ceesay told the House.
He went on: “Firearms [hunting guns] are very important to us as rural people. If you don’t have a gun, armed bandits will come and attack you but if they know you have a gun, they will not dare come closer to you.”
According to the Sami MP, his people have lost a significant number of heads of cattle to armed robbers.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Arms shipment interceouted at Banjul Ports
