It was on May of 2006, when the Freedom Newspaper was hacked by agents of The Gambian Government. The detained State House Assistant Press Secretary Mam Sait Ceesay was among those rejoicing over the arrest and torture of these innocent subscribers. Ceesay teamed up with the Observer MD Saja Taal, the sacked Sports Minister Omar Faye, Tijan Massaneh Ceesay of The Gambian Embassy in Washington DC, Former Junta Spokesman Ebou Jallow and other unnamed individuals to blackmail the Freedom Newspaper subscribers. Mam Sait openly branded these subscribers in his Observer Editorials as “ENEMIES OF THE GAMBIAN STATE.“ He threatened local reporters suspected of having ties with the Freedom Newspaper. Ceesay did not stop at that. He went as far as helping the NIA to trace Freedom’s erstwhile Bureau Chief Omar Bah. Ceesay made numerous unsuccessful phone calls to Editor Bah’s cellular phone. Bah at the time diverted his calls to a friend of his working with the State media. The said reporter name (withheld) nearly got arrested, as Mam Sait repeatedly threatened to call the NIA for him if the reporter fails to tell him Omar Bah’s whereabouts. Today, Mam Sait is accused of passing state secrets to the Freedom Newspaper. Interesting times. The accuser being accused. Since the matter in question is before the courts, we shall refrain from commenting on the main substance of the case.

 Across the country, there is little public sympathy for Mam Sait and Malick Jones. Their arrest was welcomed in many quarters. The average Gambian despised the type of “junk” journalism practiced  by these two sellouts. Mam Sait for example, helped the regime to harass, bully, persecute and torture perceived political opponents over the years. It was Mam Sait and Saja Taal who authored the infamous Observer Editorial “Who is Deyda Hydara.” In that Editorial, the two ridiculed the late Journalist, describing him as “irrelevant” and also an enemy of the State. Messrs Taal and Ceesay were displeased with the move taken by the local Journalist Body The Gambia Press Union to commemorate the death of Deyda.

It’s imperative to note that Mam Sait Ceesay used to Freelance for the Point, while serving as State House Press officer and Gambia Daily Editor. He was on Deyda’s payroll over the years. About 80 percent of the State House stories were authored by Mam Sait. Thanks to Mam Sait, we were able to know Jammeh’s scheduled overseas trips and local activities. As long as he got paid at the end of the day, Mam careless about the repercussion of his actions. He can sell himself for the sake of money and position. Mam would often show up at the Point to collect his monthly pay. There were other state media reporters under Deyda’s payroll.

The Freedom Newspaper is also paying some state reporters. These reporters worked with us for various reasons. First and foremost, they believe that this is the only news outlet they can use to expose the President. Some of the stories turned down by the Observer and the GRTS are usually passed to us for publication. Each piece published by Freedom is commissioned. There are ways of wiring funds to these hard-working freelancers. Despite our limited resources, we are not indebted to any reporter. We pay for any story commissioned by the Editorial Board of this leading paper.

A man with many names, Mam Sait, can sell his soul for money. He’s worst than the Freedom Newspaper subscribers ,he accused of being enemies of the State. Mam is Yahya Jammeh’s biggest opponent. He hides under the banner of pen name to insult and ridicule his perceived enemies. It was too late for Jammeh to discover the true colors of Ceesay. Here is a man of vindictive character. Very wild and dangerous. He can bring an entire Government or institution down. He survives on falsehood and character assassination.

The JT Kujabi Factor!

Mam Sait was not happy when President Jammeh appointed JT Kujabi as Press Secretary. He has long been working on JT’S down fall. He spreads all kinds of lies against Kujabi just to get him sacked. Working hand in hand with Saja Taal, the two classified Kujabai as “the small Jolla Boy” with little education. They treat the young man with utter contempt and disrespect. For them, JT don’t deserve such a position. They believe that he was the wrong person for the job. They used “MISINFORMATION” in a bid to achieve their desired objective.

Mam applied the same methodology, when he wanted to silence the Freedom Newspaper. He lied to President Jammeh that the paper was poised to bring his government down. He also claimed that the paper was being funded by some powerful people in the US. As times goes on, President Jammeh started realizing Ceesay’s hatred and open lies against these sons of the soil. Mam hates people without cause. He is a false pretender.

It would be recalled that an insider at the State House recently uses the State House official mail to email the Freedom Newspaper regarding the expulsion of the UN Envoy by the Jammeh Government. Few days later, Mam Sait was sacked. JT Kujabi was appointed. Mam started to harbor grudges for Kujabi. We published the said mail bearing the state house official email to confirm to our readership that the said mail emanates from Marina Parade.

Freedom Refuses to Publish JT’s Sacking!

 This paper refuses to publish the piece on JT Kujabi’s replacement for ethical reason. The anynanimous source was pushing too hard to get the piece published, thus raising doubts about the intention of the source. It’s a policy here at Freedom that all stories be it-from reporters, sources or other parties must be properly researched before going to press. Freedom is not competing. We have a loyal readership. This can be confirmed by our daily hits.

Perhaps, the Observer is competing with the Freedom Newspaper these days. They went ahead to publish the story. The paper quoted authoritative sources at the State House to back up their piece. It was later discovered that the rumor on JT Kujabi’s removal was spearheaded by Jones and Ceesay. The two had special interest in the story. JT Kujabi is not in their good books so we learned.

Jones and Ceesay accused of Freedom Informants.

We must admit that the arrest and detention of Mam Sait Ceesay an Malick Jones had affected the operations of the Freedom Newspaper in The Gambia. Our own reporter Famara Jammeh has dropped his pen in fear for his life. He said the charges brought against the two journalists scared him a lot. Famara has gone on a French leave, even though he has a job at Freedom. Famara has since stopped filing stories for Freedom. “Anybody they catch now, they try to link you with Freedom. I heard that the Point Newspaper was also being warned by the IGP and the NIA DG to desist from allowing its stories used by the Freedom Newspaper. They convened a meeting at the Point trying to find out the person sending stories to Freedom. The IGP and NIA DG were assured by the Point Management that non of their staffers write for Freedom. I’m afraid for my life. All the reporters are being closely watched by the NIA. I have to stop filing stories until the dust settles down.” said Famara Jammeh.

According to Famara Jammeh, the Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy was very angry when she saw a piece on the Freedom regarding their Taiwan trip which was culled from the Point. The said piece was culled from the Point. The Freedom Editors made some editorial comments underneath the piece, which never went down well with the VP delegation. “ There were some names given to the NIA for surveillance. I suspect that my name was among the list. They might bank on me if I visit the local internet café to file my pieces. I love the Freedom Newspaper, but my life comes first before anything. I will resume reporting when the situation calms down.” said reporter Famara Jammeh.

The Freedom Newspaper Editors have assured the Point Management in a telephone conversation that non of its reporters work for the Point. We also told them that each time we used their stories we give credit to the Point. The Freedom Editors also promised not to comment on Point stories since the matter is about to land them into trouble.

Reporter Famara Jammeh has no ties with the Point. Just for the records, his stories are original and factual. The state is increasing worried about Jammeh’s reports. Justice Sam and Karafa Badjie are also helping to rattle Jammeh’s cage.

The IGP or NIA’S Pa Jallow should not make the mistake to arrest or allow its men to harm these poor Point Newspaper reporters. The Gambian State would be held responsible for the demise of any reporter in The Gambia from now on. We deem it imperative to report this disturbing state of affairs. Our Vice President is another dangerous soul. The VP should not forget that the Point used to pay her own husband the late Jai Saidy, a man of principle.

We are aware of the conspiracy reached to harm or possibly kill Freedom Newspaper reporters in The Gambia. The Point Management should stand by its staffers come what may. They have killed Deyda and are now contemplating killing more reporters. We know what transpired at that meeting and what was said.

Local Diplomatic Missions in The Gambia and the Civilized world should take note of this development. There is a ploy reached to kill our reporters. The IGP Bernard Jammeh was quoted as saying that “any reporter working for Freedom” caught will never see the sun. Alarmed by these threats, a meeting was convened at the Point to discuss the matter.

 The said meeting was held when Pap Saine was in Taiwan with the Vice President to attend the Africa Summit. Mr.Saine was reported to be under increasing pressure. The Government delegation led by the Vice President were not happy about the Point piece we reproduced containing our own Editorial footnote. Instructions were given for a meeting to be held at the Point. The meeting ended prematurely, as some of the reporters went mad following the unsubstantiated allegations that they work for Freedom.

We have known Pap Saine as a journalist with high standing. He should refused to be intimidated by these criminals. Deyda's fine legacy should not be compromised  because of  few self-centered individuals whose pre-occupation is to censor information.  Mr.Saine should depart from this culture of "Maslabi" and assert his journalistic independence. The Point has reached a stage where it's compared with the gutter press Observer. In order to win public trust and confidence, the paper should allow its reporters and Editors to do their job without any form of censorship or threat. The Point can only be termed a serious Newspaper if its Editors and reporters are not dancing to the dictates of the powers that be. Anything short of this, is unacceptable to press freedom lovers.

The Point offlate has been spending too much time praising army officers, the IGP and other Government functioneries. The paper must redefine its editorial policy. The signals we are getting are confusing. One wonders if the Point is an independent paper these days. Who are you trying to appease to a point that your independece is left in limbo? Does it worth it? Why not pick on important topics affecting the daily lives of Gambians and comment on it. The Observer should be doing the praise-singing and not the Point.

Having said that, we want to inform our colleagues at the Point and the powers that be that the Freedom Newspaper is a legitimate Newspaper here in the US. The US Federal Authorities are aware of the existance of this paper. We are not a subversive paper as bandit by the Jammeh government. They hate us because of our uncomproming editorial policy.

The Freedom Newspaper will never close its doors to Point Reporters. We shall pay for any story commissioned by our Editors. Point  Reporters, like any other journalist in The Gambia, reserve the right to associate themselve with the Newspaper of their choice. If they feel that the Point will not publish stories critical of the government, they are free to sell their stories to other news outlets.

We can bet that if Deyda Hydara was alive the IGP will not have the dearing mind to meddle into the paper's editorial policy. He will tell him off without delay and continue with his journalistic routine. Deyda is gone, but his colleagues are here. We are determined to keep his legacy alive come what may.

We will never reveal our sources!

This paper will never confirm or deny reports of Jones and Ceesay’s association with Freedom. The accused persons can speak for themselves. The two are alive and kicking. The courts will decide their fate. The information we published about Mam Sait Ceesay and Malick Jones is the truth and nothing but the truth.

Many lawyers are not keen at representing the two journalists. They are agents provocateurs. Lawyers, students, the private press, civil society and our neighbors Senegal suffered from the biased media coverage of the two. They used misinformation to antagonize the oppressed and the underprivileged. Let them dance to their own music. No mercy for the merciless. God is the best judge. The evil that men do, do live after them.

 

The editor can be reached at the following addresses:editor@freedomnewspaper.com,Panderry@hotmail.com or panderrymbai@gmail.com  By phone dial the following numbers: Office:-919-872-50-28  Cell: 919-798-81-22  If you know that it's happening or is about to happen please contact us. It's easy. Just type your info on our contact us file and  then click send. The Freedom Newspaper is your leading and most authoritative  source of news. We have the required professionals to serve you round the clock. Get your morning breakfast news by reading Freedom. We have good stuffs  every morning. At Freedom, we mean business.