‘President Jammeh Tortures Me’

Ex-NDEA Officer Recounts Ordeal  

Leaders are generally perceived by their followers as reverends, almost flawless especially if they ride on a religious ticket. Such leaders are trusted, adored and respected. For any such leader to be discovered a sex predator will not only appalls and shocks his people. Well, many Gambians today are finding it hard to come to terms with some of the revelations on the Diaspora Gambian online press about President Jammeh’s insatiable thirst for sex. This brings to mind a saying “he who feels it; knows it”. I have no iota of doubt in my mind that there are many Gambian female security officers both in the Gambia and abroad who felt victim of President Yahya Jammeh’s sexual exploitation.

I first came under President Jammeh’s radar in 2001 while I was posted at the Janjanbureh Prison as a prison warden. He spotted me at his Meet the People Tour. I was startled when one of his bodyguards approached me and said: “Oga wants to speak to you.” I was confused and afraid at the same time. When I got to him, he asked for my name and I told him; Jainaba Jah. He smiled and shook his head and said:”No. I am changing your name. From now on you will be Jainaba Jammeh” I could not believe what I was hearing but I heard myself saying “No. My surname is Jah”. He went on to say since you refused to change your surname, go and stand in attention in the sun. I did as instructed hoping he was kidding with me because of the joking relationship between the Fulas and the Jolas.

I was under the sun in attention, sweating and shaking with exhaustion. Then Yankuba Touray came and told me “If you want him to release you, go and tell Oga that you have now accepted to change your name”. It was at that point I went and told him “Sir, I have now agreed to change my name as you wish”. He laughed and gave me twenty-five thousand dalasi. He turned and told my Commanding Officer, Tyanna that from then on my name has changed to Jainaba Jammeh. To my greatest surprise, when I went to the yard to take over duties, my name was also changed to Jainaba Jammeh in the diary. I went ballistic and it was Commissioner Major Bojang who rescued me and told my boss that the President was only joking. That was my believed as well but two days later I was transferred to Jeshwang Prisons.

That was when I started having nightmares and constantly been in fear. I was again moved from Prison to the National Drug Enforcement Agency. During that cocaine burst involving the South Americans I was escorting the female suspect and was featured on GRTS. The next morning I was informed that Oga said when you are going to court with the suspect handcuff her. Then I realised he was sending me message. A week later, he saw me near the State House and sent his ADC to call me. When I arrived, he asked me to get inside his car; I got in. I could not believe that the President was making sexual advances on me inside his car. He realise that I was very uncomfortable and distraught; he gave me ten thousand dalasi and told me that he will send a special envoy to bring me to Kanilai. It was at then I said if I didn’t do something I will be his sex slave. I confided with my director who advised me to take an annual leave and go away until he forgets about me.

Jainaba Jah

Birmingham, UK

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