‘The Murder Leaves Scar On My Heart’
Being among the police officers who responded to his shooting, life from that day had never been the same for me again.
While I held his head in a pool of blood, I looked into his innocent face with disbelief as my tears dropped on his face.
Though I do not personally know him, the gunshot wounds on his left temple, thigh and pelvis left scars on my heart that never heals.
As he was removed from the car from the sewage gutter, I struggled with disbelief and denial that that was The Gambia I call my country.
Looking at him on the stretcher while we carried out the crime scene assessment and evidence collection, I resolved to myself that I would do whatever it takes to find whoever pulled those triggers.
My worst moment was on arrival at the Emergency Unit of RVH. The crying and wailing of his family still echoes in my mind ten years on. I helplessly looked at them, women and men as they cried their souls out. How I wished that this was never true. I thereafter had to undergo series of counselling from both spiritual and psychological to help retain my head.
Embarking on the investigation, the fundamental question of who fired those precise shots must be answered urgently.
The clue was never hidden however that whoever the killers were, they must be experts who mastered the art of shooting at targets. It was our role to find them wherever and whoever they may be.
While we did our best to accomplish the task, we are constantly reminded of the obligation we owed to his family, our country and the world at large.
We are reminded that each unsolved crime is a breeding ground for another.
Despite our investigation leading to specific people of interest, the blocking and uncooperativeness of powers led only to frustrations and uncertainty.
No wonder that the case was soon taken from the police and reassigned to the NIA.
The fundamental question that I kept asking myself and that anyone interested in finding the Deyda Killers should be: Why was the police IG fired and detained for unexplained reasons in the middle of such high profile investigation? 2: Why was a Soldier with no police or even military police background appointed as the police IG?
As I still patiently await the day when I can fruitfully share my knowledge on this national tragedy, I remain under the cover of darkness preserving myself and my knowledge for the benefit of the Gambia my homeland while I remain under their watchful eyes still working in the police force for my family’s survival.
Ends
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