Modou  Sanyang, the Angel of Death Exposed

By  Weral Jamfaakat

Guest columnist from GRTS 

Some time ago I read a very good interview in the widely read Freedom Newspaper about how Amadou Samba misused his influence on Jammeh to harass Dida Halake. And take it from me the article received a deep thinking from state house. This, coupled with the frequent court cases involving people allegedly giving false information to destroy others, have led me to join your noble course to expose with honesty and good faith, people who have used their closeness to the powers that be, to destroy other people One of the most dangerous such personalities today is Momodou Sanyang, the Director General of GRTS, who, I would appropriately call here, ‘the Angel of Death’.

I swear by the holiest chapter of the Quran that all what am going to say here is the truth and the only truth and that I have no malice intended and that I can stand in any court anywhere to defend my assertions as a living witness to it:

In this first segment of a series of first hand information I have gathered on this demon, I will unravel with undisputed clarity how he destroyed the careers of many journalists, orchestrated the disappearance and destruction of fellow Jola community members, all because of his selfish desire to be the only one to be admired by Jammeh. His victims and attempted victims include, the Kujabi brothers among other prominent  Jolas; Journalists Lamin Cham, Kebba Dibba; Momodou Joof; Bora Mboge ; His name sake Modou Sanyang Ba, former MD of  the Observer, missing Chief Manneh; Dodou Sanneh as well his role in coordinating the torture of innocent people in the wake of the Freedom newspaper debacle etc, etc:

But for purpose of clarity, let me begin by introducing this Angel of death called Momodou Sanyang.

A notorious liar and habitual womanizer, Momodou Sanyang broadcast Jola news on Radio Gambia for decades, a part time job he preferred to his full time camera and tape editing job at the then Film Unit, not least because the former brings him fame and public attention. Always immaculately dressed Sanyang adjusts every turn or ruffle on his cloth from sun rise to sunset and frequently wears spectacles to bridge the gap between his owl like withdrawn eyes and his nose. A perfect gentle man by look and talk, but a poisonous snake more lethal than a trapped rattle snake. If I lie against this man, may God break my skull and elevate Sanyang to even higher heights. And I want to challenge President Jammeh and all good minded people to seek the truth and investigate my assertions.

When the GRTS was launched, the Film Unit, which was virtually called the Television in waiting, was amalgamated into the new establishment but subjected to Gamtel management which provided a Director General for it:

Sanyang became the first tape editor, (not the best as it later turned out to be) and suddenly began to grow feathers of importance and self aggrandizement.

He was such a showman that he would deliberately disable the editing machine often by pulling off a plug, paralyzing the whole machine, before dashing to a hideout within the premises. His unsuspecting colleagues would then struggle with the machine to no avail and would then look for Sanyang, the indispensable tape editor. Once his name has been shouted aloud three or more times, he would then emerge from his hibernation mostly from the Mosque area, (he hardly prays there on his own initiative) and then he would artificially finger the machine as if a big technical breakdown had occurred. Suddenly, when his colleagues are not attentive, he would plug back the cable he had deliberately unplugged earlier; and spring the machine back to life to the exclamation of his colleagues.

Meanwhile by this time President Jammeh was taking a keen interest in the TV and naturally recognizing the presenters and reporters on the screen and since each work carried the tape editor's name, Modou Sanyang too has his share of the lime light.

He began projecting himself and self-assigning himself to presidential functions even where he is not needed. He could often be seen running around the area in front of the presidential dais or standing behind camera men as if he is supervising their view range or shots, all in a bid to grab the attention of Jammeh.

Then came the Sindola and Funtampaf, a few of the many festivals Jammeh organizes in Kanilai and  whoever appointed Sanyang into the organising committees have done the country a great disservice, for the devil now have access to Jammeh and wasted no time in rubbing off Jammeh's good opinion and admiration of other  people,  journalists and  fellow Jolas alike. He do this by deliberately misinforming on people in the media both at the TV and later Observer where as board member he once boasted at the GRTS news room that he has been placed there by the President himself, to be his ears and eyes. In fact one of his many weaknesses is his endless loose talking which sometimes reveals a lot of confidential information about happenings at State House which a mature person privileged with such access would not even hint at. 

Momodou Sanyang is well known for being Jammeh's self appointed messenger in every field of activity he deals in with the public. He would harangue his colleagues and frequent women visitors to his office, decorated all round with photos of him and Jammeh, with tales from statehouse. Some of his famous tales goes like this: ''Hey, today HE was very happy, he did this and that, he said this and that''.  In fact as recent as last month, while he was on his showmanship narration trying to impress people with his closeness to HE, a cameraman whom he called for a coverage was testing the camera and caught him on tape, perambulating about how Jammeh was surprised at seeing the sacked General Tamba among the Rotary Club visitors. (I have the tape). 

But Sanyang's main vice is not his waking of people with his closeness to Jammeh. In fact, he is right that he is close to Jammeh and talks to him directly. His danger however lies in his ability to poison the president's mind about other people and, in this process, he does not even spare his own Jola kinsmen. But I would reserve that for my next series and deal with the journalists now. 

As recently narrated by Pa Ousman Darboe, formerly of the Daily Observer, and Kemo Cham, chief Manneh's arrest was facilitated by Saja Taal and Momodou Sanyang. During Saja's reign, Daily Observer was been run as a military camp with Saja and Momodou Sanyang reporting everything to the NIA and President Jammeh directly. Even things as trivial as a Lithography staff member helping to wash the printing plate of a fellow newspaper house led to the NIA pouncing on an innocent staff member, jailing them for days. And so, once Saja called Momodou Sanyang on that ill fated day of Chief Mannehs's arrest,  the young man's  long ordeal was sealed with just a simple whisper into Jammeh's  ears by Sanyang. ''Sir; we have caught the biggest saboteur at the Observer''. 

Almost a year earlier, at State House, Sanyang orchestrated the sacking of his namesake, Momodou  Sanyang Ba, and his voluntary acting editor in chief, Lamin Cham of the Daily Observer. I said voluntary because as sports editor Cham had repeatedly declined to accept this appointment even under Sheriff Bojang. Sanyang maligned Lamin Cham by telling Jammeh some very nasty things about the guy whom Jammeh once publicly said was his favorite sports reporter and always joke with when they meet. That morning Jammeh was angry about an article carried on the visit by some business people at state house, authored by Ebrima Jaw Manneh, which the reporter was said to have been told not to carry. Apparently both Cham and his Managing Director had not been told by the reporter about the directives on the story and they dutifully ran it. Instead  of investigating the source of  the mishap as a board member, Angel of death  Sanyang’s reaction was to further inflamed Jammeh's well known short temper before rushing to sign the termination of the services of both Cham and his Managing Director. Interestingly, the State House press officer, Mam Sait Ceesay, and the culprit reporter Ebrima  Jaw Mannhe, remained to succeed Cham.

Meanwhile here at GRTS, Angel of Death Sanyang continued his devilish crusade by cutting off any possible contact reporters many have with Jammeh either by posting himself to cover every State House event, even in areas that does not concern him, or insisting on is chosen and favorite team to cover.

Example, he drastically reduced and finally elbowed out Bakary Fatty, a trained Agriculturalist, from covering Jammeh’s farming activities because of jealousy that Jammeh may fall in love with Fatty. To put it simply, Sanyang hates anyone admired by Jammeh. In fact the principal reason why Lamin Cham became a target for Sanyang could be traced to Jammeh's open admiration for him.

Kebba Dibba

One of Momodou Sanyang's key targets is Kebba who is now a senior manager of programmes. Kebba was a colleague of Sanyang's at then Film Unit in the camera department, but his intellect far supersedes Sanyang’s and as such when they came to the GRTS senior journalists like Bora Mboge and Jainaba Nyang recognized Kebba's journalistic talents and encouraged him to come in front of the camera instead of behind it, and his rise to the top was well deserved. He is a journalist per excellence both in depth and scope albeit sometimes he over tow Jammeh's line in his reports. Sanyang is of course his boss right now but until now Kebba was many times the target of Sanyang's poisonous backbiting and character assassinations.

One day he [Sanyang] told the then GRTS boss, Bora Mboge, that Kebba Dibba had gone drunk at work, and that he was so drunk that he had to be taken home by GRTS drivers to avoid embarrassment to the institution. The allegation was so serious that even Bora, who had the mildest temper, could not let the matter go and decided to investigate. In no time he discovered that the allegation was not true. Kebba Dibba went mad like a wounded lion. He was so raged that he would have gone out of his senses if he had met Sanyang at that moment. The whole of GRTS was filled with tension as Kebba, filled with fury, demanded justice and insisted on Sanyang to provide evidence and witnesses.

In the end Bora Mboge had to call for a truce and calmed the situation. If president Jammeh wants to know the truth about it, let him just call Kebba in private and ask him to confess.

In all these nefarious acts Sanyang is only motivated by one thing, jealousy and exclusivity of access to Jammeh. Kebba survived many plots because he himself comes from Sintet, where he grew up with most of the most influential men in Jammeh's government today, and also because of Jammeh's own admiration for him. He is one who Sanyang has not yet succeeded in destroying so far.

 Watch out for parts Two and Three which would  expose how Sanyang undermined Bora, caused the incarceration of fellow Jolas and his power struggle with Neneh, Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, Modou Joof  and many more,  including his current  satanic reign at GRTS including his carelessly misplacing of a tape recording of the dead body of  the late Almamo Manneh which was copied by many unathorised staff members. Those *who destroy others must be exposed so that Jammeh will be not allow himself to be used by people who play on his short temper  in their selfish drive to destroy others. We are here for such people. They would be exposed so that they can take their rightful place in history.