Businessman Kebba Touray, And 40 Others Arrested Over Coup Allegations!!

Imam Baba Leigh Not Arrested Yet As Reports Sugessted!

….Accused Of Offering Prayers For Coup Suspect Tamba

As Armed Soldiers Searched For A  Buried BLACK GOAT At General Tamba’s Residence

As Gambia’s security forces detained over 40 people in relation to the so called foiled coup, Imam Baba Leigh has not yet been arrested, even though his name was contained in the list submitted by IGP Essa Badjie, sources clarified. This paper has been reliably informed  that Imam Leigh is in Tanzania on an official trip, and is expected to return home Tuesday. Among those arrested include: businessman, cum religious figure Kebba Touray of Tabacco Road, Banjul. The men were picked up for questioning by the security forces. The detainees are being investigated on allegations that they had ties with the jailed erstwhile army chief General Lang Tombong Tamba.

The arrest of  Kebba Touray of Tabacco road, came in the wake of reports supplied to the police by undercover Pa Sanyang, and Pa Marenah, both of whom were lodged by General Tamba that the former army boss had invited religious leaders at his residence to offer prayers for him.  The police informants also claimed that Tamba slaughtered a BLACK goat as a ritual, which he Tamba allegedly buried in his Bijilo compound, following the Islamic recitations.  The allegations went on to state that Tamba also poured the water, which the religious leaders washed their hands from after having their meal on the slaughtered goat.

A team of armed soldiers and NIA officers were dispatched to search for the buried goat at Lang’s home Saturday.  The entire garden in the yard was ravaged, as the searching team could be seen trying to locate the BLACK goat believed to be hidden in the residence.

Following an unsuccessful search, the soldiers only found a goat horn, which they presented to the President, one of the soldiers informed the Freedom Newspaper. The soldier said they also destroyed General Tamba’s fence, which had a water pipe connected to his neighbor’s residence. Tamba supplied free water to his neighbors, the soldier said.

The soldier said Tamba’s adopted student Pa Marenah, and his in-law Pa Sanyang reported him to the police. The allegations were that he Tamba was soliciting prayers from religious leaders with the aim of pursuing his leadership dreams.

A similar prayers were offered following the demise of Tamba’s father. But such prayers were misinterpreted by the police informants, who claimed that Tamba was working on a coup plot to replace President Jammeh, sources said.

But sources said there was no iota of truth into the said allegations. Tamba according to sources slaughtered ram, which he shared among the religious leaders, following the naming ceremony of his newly born baby. Since he was nursing the trauma he suffered following his unceremonious sacking, he decided to make his kid’s naming ceremony a low key affair, sources said.

                        Tamba Turns Down Diplomatic Appointment

Weeks after his sacking from the army, General Tamba was invited by President Jammeh, where he was offered a diplomatic appointment. He was assigned to the Republic of Taiwan, China, a position he turned down for personal reasons. Tamba was not keen at accepting the job-citing his unfamiliarity with the field of diplomacy. Tamba said he has been a soldier for the past 20 years, and he needed time to settle down before venturing into such appointments. In other words, the General told the President that he was not interested to serve as an Ambassador in Taiwan. The President became suspicious. Jammeh thought that Baba Leigh, and Kebba  Touray were Tamba’s advisers.

As time passes by, Jammeh  invited Tamba for the second time, and offered him the position of Chief of Defense Staff, a portfolio he held up to his sacking. Tamba agreed but on condition that his fired colleagues are rehired.  Tamba told the President that he loved his country, and profession.  That, he was willing to return to the army-arguing that the army has been his career.

A source close to the Leigh family said Baba Leigh has not been arrested. The source informed us that Mr. Leigh was out of the country, but was aware of the mass arrest of civilians. This paper tried to reach Imam Leigh on his roaming cellular phone, but he was unavailable for comments.