Nyabally Slams Ministry of Interior over its Statement on April 10,11 Demonstration in 2000 as ‘Disrespectful’
September 25, 2019
By Adama Makasuba
Dr. Lamin J. Sise, chairperson of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission
Alagie Nyabally has slammed the Ministry of Interior over its press release on the April 10\11 students’ demonstration in 2000 as disrespectful, annoying and disappointing. He was then a senior student at the Gambia College.
Mr Nyabally was testifying before the Truth Reparation and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday 25th September, 2019.
“The language (of) (Ministry of Interior) wasn’t respectful, because saying that we have heard the students wanted to go on for demonstration, we will not compromise with the security of the state, and we are advising the students to desist from demonstration,” he said.
He added that: “It was very annoying and disappointing because after knocking their doors they didn’t listen to us, now how can you compelled us to stop what we planned. It was too late.”
He said the students requested a dialogue with the government but as he said the government didn’t listen to the students, adding instead they (government) provoked the situation.
He said that the personnel of the Police Intervention Unit arrested many students including the leaders of the then Gambia Students Union (GAMSU), who he said were taken to different security wings within the Greater Banjul Area.
“At the end the students didn’t know what to do, so the students wanted to go home on their normal businesses, but the security officers confronted the students from different directions from Westfield, Ice man, GTTI, and Sankung Sillah, so at the end they were chasing the students,” he said.
He also laid into the former president Yahya Jammeh as a dictator saying as that Jammeh was everything in his regime, adding “so if he employs you, you can’t say no if you say no he sacrifice you and many those were the breadwinners of their family.”
He said many the officials working in his regime were doing things out of fear to the detriment of the citizens, as he said “most of them were tight to the corner” adding that many of the officials had negative consequences then.
