Editorial:

Another blood bath occurred in this country Sunday. A land dispute in Kombo Central, have left dozen others critically injured. The protesters did not stop at inflicting wounds on their opponents, but they went as far as burning the house of Alkalo Lamin Jarju. Three cars were also set ablaze. These are dangerous signs for a country, whose fragile peace is at stake at this material time. We are sitting on a time bomb. The writings are on wall for social unrest in The Gambia. People are now resorting to using arms to vent their anger and frustration against the system. The people, who attacked Alkalo Jarju’s home village, were armed with cutlasses, knives and local guns. Our much cherished peace is about to be upset, if the authorities concerned, failed to end injustices in the country. Injustice anywhere, can lead to social tensions, to borrow the expression of the late Martin Luta King.

When the Freedom Newspaper reported few weeks ago about a looming demonstration in Brikama, the NIA moved in and arrested some youths. The NIA is ineffective and idle so to speak. It’s not doing its job as expected. The interior Minister is also not doing his job. All these crimes could have been averted, if the agency have done its job right. The NIA wants information  ready made. It does not want to go out to find out what’s happening in the country. They sat in their offices doing nothing, yet they are paid at month end. The NIA is an economic burden to this country. It’s a disservice to The Gambia and her people. It should be disbanded and renamed.

Instead of safeguarding the country’s peace and stability, the NIA is busy doing policing job. Their job is to gather intelligence and pass it to the relevant security agencies. These security agencies relied on information fed to them by the NIA to strategize their daily security routines.   

Our country is far from being secured. Our nation’s security is so fragile that anything could happen any time from now. The NIA, which is expected to avert subversive and external aggression are sleeping. Armed fighters can walked into this country, do their operation, unnoticed. The NIA is not capable of detecting crimes. It’s one of the most inefficient security outfits in this country.

National security is paramount in any democratic dispensation. Based on feedbacks we are getting, the Kombo Central violence was attributable to security lapses. The Police and the Army did a bad job. In that, they failed to show up on time to quell the violence.

As rightly pointed out by the Commanding officer of the Brikama Police Station Jesus, the Seven Police Intervention Officers deployed to the Alkalo’s residence could not control the armed crowd. That, his men were outnumbered. Jesus was very frank and honest when he admitted the security lapses in this country.

Having said that, it’s also important to highlight the slow response of the army to the incident. The State Guards arrived, when an unimaginable destruction has already been caused by the protesters. We must thank God that no life was claimed in the said incident. We should also pray for the wounded.

It was wrong for the State Guards to beat and torture these protesters. The right thing they could have done, was to handover people linked to the mayhem to the police and not to subject them into such degrading treatment.

What’s happening in the country right now, is what we call “ social retaliation” against the system. The oppressed citizenry, are resorting to taking the law in their own hands. The consequences of such actions are costly. There is bound to be lawlessness and anarchy. When our fragile peace is upset, there is bound to be lawlessness.

President Jammeh’s rule is certainly coming to an end. His removal will come as a surprise to him, his supporters, loved ones and sympathizers. This day is nearing. There are two options available for Jammeh’s removal: Social uprising or coups.

While we are not supporters of coup, it’s fair to tell things as  we see them. Too much intelligence failures, often leads to disasters. The NIA job entails a lot of issues, not only local politics. The agency should quit its idleness. The country’s security is in jeopardy.

A good intelligence agency should be in the position to protect the lives of Ferry passengers, aviation passengers, commuters and students. It should also be able to predict security related issues ahead of time. This is where the American CIA and the FBI beat their partners in Africa. They are always on top of issues.

Our security is very weak. We as a nation should be prepared to overcome any security challenges, whether in the short term or in the long term.

Regrettably, our intelligence is not as sophisticated, as many took them to be. What we have is an inexperienced and novice security outfit, whose sole preoccupation is to intimidate and harass the innocent.

It’s  the duty of the Government to protect and defend every Gambian citizen. If the Government is unable to fulfill its constitutional mandate, then such a Government is unfit to rule.

The President should sack his Interior Minister Ousman Sonko. Sonko does not know his job responsibilities. He should also restructure the NIA,  in the interest of national security. Gambians deserve to be protected. What happened in Kombo Central Sunday was unacceptable. The rule of law should take its cause no matter what. The Government created such a bad precedence, but will certainly pay for the price!!! Peace is a rare commodity, which should not be joked with.