He lost two of his front tooth after he was allegedly assaulted outside the premises of the police Headquarters in Banjul by a police License Officer one Corporal Alhagie Ceesay, amid an altercation he had with the officer. Insurance Broker Alhagie Tambadou, a native of Fuladu, Brikamaba, said he was violently allegedly attacked by officer Ceesay, while he was leaving the police Headquarters on July 17th, 2020. He was at the police to pick up a License Plate for one of his clients Musa Bayo.
During his visit to the police, Tambadou says he met officer Ceesay, who was busy processing license plates at the License Unit of the Force. He waited until it was time for his turn to pick up his client’s plate. He says when he spoke to officer Alhagie Ceesay, and asked him about his client license plate Musa Bayo, Ceesay, wouldn’t talk to him. Ceesay totally ignored him. He claimed that Ceesay never attended him.
Officer Ceesay later left the License’s office and went downstairs. He never handed Musa Bayo’s license plate to Tambadou.
A frustrated Alhagie Tambadou was on his own. He had to approach one officer called Sally Jarju, who later handed the license plate to him.
Tambadou had made some remarks before leaving the License Office. He said he was going to report officer Ceesay to his superiors, because he felt that Ceesay was unethical in the way he dealt with him.
Tambadou was on his way home, when he met officer Ceesay outside the premises of the police Headquarters. Ceesay then allegedly confronted him.
He said he was asked by Ceesay to repeat what he (Ceesay) had said at the License’s Office. Tambadou said he refused to engage Ceesay into any further conversation.
“On my way out, I was making a cross check, my Customs entry plate that was in my hand, trying to confirm whether it is the right plate that has been given to me, and after taking a while, I saw a police officer, who stood before me, he asked me to repeat of what I said, who have happened to be this Alhagie Cessay, that I am alleging. Anyway, I said, I don’t have time for that gentleman, I have already said what I should say, I think you are not dumb, you heard very well of what I said. And upon saying this, he insulted my mother seriously and we all know what mother means, if you insulted somebody’s mother, it means definitely you will get to the end. I also paid back and he gave me a nasty blow on my face with punch, which left me with two tooth broken,” Mr. Tambadou told Freedom Radio Gambia’s prime Leral show on Sunday.
Tambadou said he became unconscious after he was allegedly hit on his face by officer Ceesay. He was subsequently arrested and placed into a police cell without any statement obtained from him.
He was not rushed to the hospital for treatment. He spent over one hour in a police cell at the Banjul police station, before he was taken to the main hospital in Banjul for treatment.
“There, I lose consciousness automatically, there I heard somebody, who happens to be one of the senior officers called Pateh Jallow. This Pateh Jallow, decided to say arrest him, arrest him, arrest this boy, arrest them, and take them to the Banjul station. Arrest him, or arrest them, whatsoever, but I was singularly arrested and then I was taken to the police station. Upon my arrival to the police station, they opened a cell and make me to enter inside the cell without taking any statement from me, or neither asking me, what is the cause of the assault. While bleeding was taking place, I was there for over one hour, and later I was called to give a statement, I said no, I am not going to give out my statement, I will only give out my statement, upon the arrival of my counsel. They said, if you are not going to give your statement, we will put you back to the cell. I was placed in the cell again for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes again, which makes it one hour and thirty minutes, I was called out and taken to the hospital, I was with one Lance couple, who I may not be able to remember, who escorted me to the Accident and Emergency Unit on my barefoot while bleeding is taking place,” Tambadou remarked.
Tambadou met one of his relatives at the hospital. He asked his relative to take a picture of his wound, but the officer, who escorted him, wouldn’t allow that to happen.
“Upon my arrival at the Accident and Emergency, I happened to find a friend or a brother called Bakary Bayo, who is also living in Saruja, I said, gentleman, can you take a snap of me, anyway, this gentleman took a snap with his cellular phone, and this man said look, he is under me, you have to delete whatever you snapped here and he deleted all his item from me. Bakary wanted to react, but then I don’t want any commotion there, and Bakary decided to comply as the officer commanded him,” he said.
“Tambadou said he was supposed to pay for his Xray scanning. He has no money with him at the time. Some of his relatives and friends came to his aid to pay for that bill.
He had waited for over two hours, before he could be attended by a doctor.
“Before I can meet my doctor, Landing BM, it was definitely terrible; because I was seriously affected and I was suffering from the pain, I have to be patient and wait. I met this gentleman and he diagnosed me, to go for Xray, then there a friend of mine, saw me, then I was not with a butut. I have no money to pay for this service. A friend mine paid the Xray for me. Upon making this Xray, I was escorted back to the Banjul station,” Tambadou added.
Tambadou was later charged with affray. He was granted self-bail. He told the police that he was from the provinces and he doesn’t know anyone in Banjul, who could bail him. He was released on self-bail.
Tambadou has hired lawyer Lamin Darboe, the son of The Gambian politician Lawyer Ousainou Darboe to represent him. He had to use his property at Latriya, as a collateral for Darboe to represent him in his pending criminal case before the police. His legal bill is D15,000 dalasis.
Few days after he was released on bail, Tambadou said the police later slammed him with another charge, this time a prohibition of conduct charge. Now, he has two charges brought against him. He is yet to be taken to court.
Tambadou said with the help of his lawyer Lamin Darboe, he was able to file a complaint with the police Discipline and Complaint Unit. He has also filed a complaint with Gambia’s Human Rights Commission.
Tambadou felt that Ceesay had allegedly violated his human rights. He says he has not committed any crime that would warrant officer Ceesay to inflict such excesses and brutality against him.
Tambadou and Alhagie Ceesay knew each other while they were both recruited into the police back in 2010-2011 batch. Tambadou was later fired. He never finished his police recruit training. He was accused of not attending training while they were stationed at the Banjulnding police training school.
Tambadou said he was sick, and he had an excuse from duty (ED) from a doctor, but that never stopped the police command from sacking him. The current IGP Mamout Jobe was the head of the training school at the time. He said his relationship with Ceesay was cordial during their police training.
The police spokesman Superintendent Lamin Njie could not be reached for comment during the weekend. Insiders at the police License Office said Corporal Ceesay wasn’t happy with the way and manner Tambadou had approached him when he visited that office to pick up a license plate.
“The two knew each other very well. Ceesay overreacted by fighting him. It was wrong for him to fight with a civilian. If he feels that Ceesay had wronged him, or violated the law, he should arrest him and not to fight with him. One of our senior officers Pateh Jallow came downstairs to order for the arrest of Alhagie Tambadou. He also ordered the officers to process Alhagie Ceesay,” said the insiders.
“The Officer commanding the Banjul police station Lala Camara was ordered by Pateh to process Ceesay and Tambadou. Pateh felt that no one is above the law. Officer Ceesay’s face was swollen too. A statement was obtained from him,” one insider told me.
Tambadou said the most appropriate thing he would have expect Ceesay to have done was to arrest him if he (Ceesay) feels that he had violated the law. But beating him, he says was not only uncalled for, but illegal. He said he wouldn’t blame officer Pateh Jallow for arresting him. He says Pateh had done what was expected of him. But he maintains that he hasn’t done anything that should warrant his arrest and detention in a police cell.
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