Daily News Boss Invited For Questioning Over Freedom Newspaper Story

Daily News Boss At Police Again

By Saikou Jammeh (Source: www.dailynews.gm)

Arising from a tension that erupted following a publication in this paper’s Monday edition exposing the "deplorable state" of the official abode of police officers in Banjul, the Police again invited Mr.Madi Ceesay, our Editor/Publisher for further discussions on new dimensions emanating from the previous discussion.

The Daily News boss late Wednesday morning rushed at the police headquarters in Banjul in honor of a telephone call by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Essa Badjie, requesting him (Madi) to come to his office. Upon arrival, Ceesay was greeted with a four-page computer print-out of a story published on a Gambian online newspaper, Freedom Newspaper.

The story published by Freedom on the  initial encounter of the IGP with Madi and two senior reporters, Lamin Njie and Saikou Ceesay, who co-authored the New Police Line story.  "The article published in Freedom is one of distorted facts.

Yes, he (IGP) disputed that we should not have published the story and that he was not happy about it, but we stood on the veracity of our facts", Madi said.

However, he said IGP never said what was stated in the said article on the Freedom Newspaper Online that, "Police had other priority maintenance work to execute elsewhere across the country". Infact, what he (IGP) said was that the buildings at the New Police Line are beyond renovation and that they have already signed contract with GAMWORKS to put up new buildings for the police force, he said.

Madi continued: "I am of the opinion that whoever gave the editors of the Freedom Newspaper Online that information did not provide the correct version of what has transpired at the Police head offices last Tuesday."

It could be recalled that two Daily News reporters, Lamin Njie and Saikou Ceesay authored an article published on this paper’s Monday edition captioned: "New Police Line in Deplorable State." According to duo, the buildings housing the families of members of the Police are in a deplorable state. The complex is said to be dilapidated with poor sanitary conditions, dysfunctional latrines, broken windows, cracks on room walls and no gate. Infact according to them, the houses are like ghost houses.

The IGP, in reaction to the said story invited the two authors of The Daily News on Tuesday at his office in Banjul. IGP Badgie said the buildings in question are already abandoned as they are beyond repairs but needed a total reconstruction. He told the reporters in the presence of our Editor/Publisher Madi Ceesay, that he was the one who gave order for the police occupying the buildings to vacate. It took the police members time as they were reluctant to move out, and he (IGP) had to give orders that they be disconnected with both electricity and water.

He told the journalists that it is only one story building which houses few officers and families.