A Banjul Councillor said he suspects that his brother, who was fleeing from police arrest after been busted with some cannabis (drugs), was allegedly shot and killed by an eleven-man team patrolling police officers. The alleged incident happened this past Saturday, just outside the riverside along Bunroad Banjul. Pa Ceesay, Councillor for Banjul Newtown, speaking in a phone interview with Freedom Newspaper said, his brother was reported missing the next day Sunday. Councillor Ceesay had made repeated phone calls on Matarr Ceesay’s cellular phone, but he said, he couldn’t get hold of his brother. His brother Matarr Ceesay, was today (Friday) found lying dead just outside the riverside, along Bunroad Banjul. A deep wound was seen on the stomach of the decomposed body of Matarr Ceesay. Councillor Ceesay says he suspects that his brother was either shot or stabbed by the patrolling officers.
The deceased’s body was recovered today at the Bunroad riverside, just outside the mangroves. His body has been taken to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital for post-mortem. The family now awaits the outcome of the post-mortem report.
According to Councillor Pa Ceesay, his late brother Matarr Ceesay, had earlier borrowed a vehicle from a mechanic called “Chanina” to help transport weed from Casamance for one of his friends Nyanga. He said Matarr was supposed to pick up the weed at Bunroad, along the riverside, but unfortunately for Matarr, he met with some police officers at the said location. He added that when the police raided them, Matarr and others ran towards the sea.
“I was told by one of the police officers that Matarr and others might sustain injury. I told him that I was interested in seeing my brother. It was today that we found his body at the outskirt of Bunroad, along the riverside. His body was decomposed. There was deep wound on his stomach. I was also told that there was another person who also might have died during the police raid. But we didn’t see his body. I suspect that my brother was shot by the police” he said.
The late Matarr Ceesay had left a wife and four kids behind.
The police spokesman Superintendent Lamin Njie was contacted for comment. When asked whether it was true that two Banjul youths were shot and killed by the patrolling officers, and this is what he had to say: “Am following up on the situation, waiting for feedback.”
Superintendent Njie has promised to update us with details later.
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