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Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.009/2007, 22-23 January,  2007

Editorial
CANDIDATES NEED POLICE PROTECTION
The arrest of the  Independent Candidate for Niamina East, Mr. Lamin Marenah, 
by officer Gibba of  the Jareng Police and his detention over night which 
halted his campaign  constitute the grossest negation of the spirit of a free and 
fair  election.
An election can only be free and fair if a candidate is not  subjected to any 
disadvantage that his opponent is not subjected to. There is no  doubt that 
the last week of campaign is the most significant. Hence if a  candidate is 
arrested overnight and asked to report on bail his campaign would  be adversely 
affected.
All the observers should go on the ground right now  rather than wait until 
the day of elections. Observers should be attached to  vulnerable candidates 
who had been subjected to harassment and arrest. The IEC  should provide such 
persons with adequate protection so that they will be free  from harassment.
The Inspector General of Police should be issued with  instructions by the 
IEC with immediacy.
The Election’s Decree is clear. The  IEC is the supreme authority responsible 
for guaranteeing the liability of free  and fair election section 129 reads: “
The Inspector General of Police shall, on  the request of the Commission, 
assign to the Commission such number of police  officers as the Commission may 
require during the periods of registration of  voters and the conduct of 
election.”
In this regard, it should be mandatory  for the Inspector General of Police 
to be informed by all officers of the arrest  of any candidate. Such 
information should be forwarded to the IEC with immediacy  so that it will satisfy 
itself whether such arrest is based on something  tangible or something frivolous.
The Independent candidates need more  protection since they have been 
subjected to threats over the air that puts them  in a disadvantageous situation. We 
hope the IEC will make maximum effort to  ensure that candidates are treated 
with the respect  deserved. 

Niamina East Independent Candidate  Arrested/Released
By Yaya Dampha
Mr. Ebrima L.S Marenah, the Independent  Candidate for Niamina East 
Constituency, was arrested on Friday evening by the  Police and detained at the Jareng 
Police Station. 
According to Mr. Marenah,  he was attending a meeting in Kudang when he 
received information that eight of  his supporters from Thirty Mile, Jokle, Baati 
Njol, Mamoudfana, Njai Kunda and  Mbayen villages were under arrest and 
detained at Jareng Police Station.  
Upon arrival at Jareng Police Station he found the Chief of the District Mr.  
Kebba Touray and one Waa Ceesay having a meeting with these purportedly 
arrested  supporters. He said he heard them threatening these people to withdraw 
their  support for him. 
Mr. Marenah said that he stood by and together with his  coordinator; Mr. 
Talibo Ceesay who accompanied him and listened to what the  Chief was saying. He 
said at this point he decided to leave since his supporters  were not under 
police custody. But on his way back, he was overtaken by a  vehicle and stopped. 
A man alighted from the vehicle and told him that he was a  police officer 
who had orders to arrest him. He said he complied and he was  taken to the 
police station where he was detained together with his supporters.  He said he was 
kept in a cell from the time of his arrest at 6 pm on Friday to 5  am the 
following morning. 
Mr. Marenah said he and his coordinator were  charged with public disorder. 
He said both of them were released on bail on  Saturday, each with a surety for 
the sum of D5,000. He is to report at the  police station this Monday 
morning. 
Soon after the release the Independent  candidate proceeded to Thirty Mile, 
Jokle, Baati Njol, Mamoudfana, Njai Kunda  and Mbayen where he received a 
tumultuous welcome.  He assured his  supporters that nothing will happen to them 
and called on them to maintain their  stance. He claimed that there had been an 
earlier attempt to offer him D100, 000  in exchange for the withdrawal of his 
candidature. 

AT  COURT-MARTIAL
By Bubacarr K. Sowe
Continuing his cross-examination on  Friday at the Court-Martial, police 
detective, Sergeant Lamin Cham told the  court that Captain John Pierre Mendy did 
say in a statement that he reserved his  opinion till the presence of an 
attorney. 
Cham told the court that he did  not give Captain Mendy the right to see a 
lawyer, because Mendy did not ask him  for that but only put it in the 
statement. The voluntary statement, Cham said,  was recorded on April 19, at the 
station at Central Prison at Mile Two. Cham  earlier on said that he took a 
cautionary statement, but he could not remember  when and where the statement was 
taken. He said he recorded a voluntary  statement from him at the National 
Intelligence Agency which was witnessed by an  independent witness, and his detective 
colleagues, Abdoulie Sowe and Boto  Keita.
Cham also said that he cannot remember where, but knows that  Lieutenant 
Momodou Alieu Bah did make a cautionary statement. He said he was  present, but 
does not know how many statements they were. He also said that he  was present 
when the cautionary statement of Captain Abdourahman Jah was taken,  but could 
not tell the court how many of them he took. In response to Counsel  Lamin 
Camara’s question, Sergeant Cham said that he witnessed the taking of a  
cautionary statement from Captain Bunja Darboe, before he appeared at the joint  
investigation panel around midnight on March 21. He said he could not remember  the 
exact time the cautionary statement was taken and did not also know how long  
Captain Darboe was at the NIA. He also said the cautionary statement was  
obtained later in the day on March 22, and was witnessed by Tijan  Bojang.
Cross Examination By L. Jobarteh 
Sergeant Cham said no statement  was obtained from Momodou Sanyang of the 
GRTS, where a video cassette was  recovered. He said the tape was handed formally 
to the Director General of the  NIA. He also admitted that the said tape 
happened to be recorded at the NIA  headquarters. In response to a question, he 
replied that he can read, but cannot  speak Arabic, though he can only translate 
some Arabic. He also said he can read  the Qur’an. He was given a copy of the 
Qur’an and asked to read a page number  but he said: “I cannot read the page 
number,” He was again shown a part of the  Qur’an and asked to read three 
lines of a particular Chapter, which he did but  could not translate it for the 
court. One of the exhibits they (the detectives)  found in Omar Faal Keita’s 
house was given to him. He said he could translate it  except for the 
introduction. He previously told the court that Babou Loum, an  independent witness, 
appeared on various dates. He said he knows Tijan Bojang,  an independent 
witness, who lives in Sukuta. According to him he knew Tijan  Bojang before the 
Foiled Coup and insisted that he will call him an independent  witness. Tijan 
Bojang, Cham said was present when 2nd Lieutenant Pharing Sanyang  was making his 
statement. Cham told the court he was present when Boto Keita  cautioned 
Corporal Samba Bah but could not determine the difference between the  ink writings 
of the accused and the witness.
The police detective denied that  Corporal Bah; was threatened by one Mr. 
Hydara and noted that Bah cooperated  with them. Cham also said he was not there 
when Hydara was threatening Corporal  Bah that what happened to his Colleagues 
will happened to him, if he rejected  stating what he is told to write. He 
told the court that Corporal Bah was  cautioned upon which he made his statement 
which was recorded by detective Boto  Keita and witnessed by an independent 
witness. It was put to him by Counsel  Lamin Mboge, that apart from his name, 
rank and address, all that he told the  court is a cooked-up story. Sergeant 
Cham replied: “I have sworn as a Muslim and  it is not a cooked-up story.”

SEVEN UNATTENDED CHILDREN TAKEN BY  POLICE
By Sarjo M.C Singhateh
On Friday morning, about seven unattended  children were found at the 
entrance of the Police Headquarters in  Banjul.
According to the parents of the children, they left their children to  go and 
buy food for them, but when they returned, they found that the Police had  
taken the children to the Police Headquarters. Both mothers who are residents of 
 Nema-Nasiru, Kombo North, confessed that they have resorted to begging in 
the  streets because of poverty.  According to an eyewitness, these children  
were found unattended by their mothers in the vicinity of the Department of  
Education in Banjul, where a vehicle nearly hit one of the children.
The  concerned driver of the vehicle reported the matter to the Police 
Station. This  led to the Police officers to collect the children and took them to 
the Police  headquarters.
One of the mothers who have five children, including two of the  boys who 
were picked up, stated that her children had lost their fathers five  years ago. 
She said since then, survival has been a serious problem, noting that  her two 
children are currently not going to school because of lack of payment of  
fees. 
She explained that three of her five children who are older, stay at  home 
while she goes with the two young boys to Banjul to beg in the streets. The  
ages of these boys can be estimated as 5 and 7 years respectively. 
Another  mother who may be in her thirties said her husband is an old man who 
could not  fend for the family. She said it is because of this that she had 
decided to go  and beg with her twins.
“Look at me I’m pregnant. How can I sit down with my  kids without food?” 
she lamented. Three of her children were picked up by the  Police, including the 
twins.
The mother of the remaining two children also  narrated a similar experience.
The mothers were escorted to the Social  Welfare Department in Banjul. When 
the officer in charge at the department was  contacted, she said that they 
would advise the mothers appropriately in order to  ensure that the protection and 
interest of the children are maintained.
The  Police PRO was not available at the time and efforts to reach him by 
phone  proved futile. 

AMADOU CORA TRANSFERRED TO JARENG POLICE  STATION
Mr. Amadou Cora, a businessman and a native of Tambasansang, Upper  River 
Region, who was arrested last month by security forces in Basse and later  
detained at Bansang, Kuntaur and Brikama Police Stations has now been  transferred 
to Jareng Police Station. Sources have it that Mr. Cora has been  detained at 
the Jareng Police Station since Tuesday night. A source also claims  that Mr. 
Cora has not been charged though he was told that he had insulted a  lady in 
Basse, who Mr. Cora regards as his own relative. He was also asked about  his 
purported support for the UDP in the Upper River  Division.
Mr. Cora  is concerned with his frequent transfer from one detention centre 
to another. He  also claimed that he has had no access to his lawyer and family 
since his  detention in December. 

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
We now open a  column in which we will publish the profiles and views of all 
the candidates in  a constituency, so long as they are willing to talk.

APRC KOMBO  CENTRAL RALLY 
Supporters Donate
By Modou Jonga
As the battle for the  minds of the electorate intensifies, the supporters of 
the APRC candidate in  Kombo Central Constituency, Mr. Abdou F.H.S Jarjue, 
have donated two cartons of  soft drinks and a cash amount of D1000 (one 
thousand dalasis) to their  candidate.
The items were handed over to the Chief of the District, Dembo  Santang 
Bojang, who is also the chairman of the APRC campaign team. This  donation by the 
two youth groups namely; the late Nyara Badjie group and the  Armanti Youth 
Association, was done on Wednesday 17th January, 2007 at a rally  held at the 
Brikama Mosque.
Speaking to the audience, Mr. Abdou F.H.S Jarjue  commended the groups for 
the benevolent gesture. Mr. Jarjue urged the electorate  in Kombo Central to 
come out and vote peacefully come January 25th. He pleaded  with his supporters 
to desist from the politics of tribalism. “Avoid tribal  politics and vote for 
progress,” Mr. Jarjue reiterated.
Also speaking at the  rally, the former Secretary of State for Foreign 
Affairs, Mr. Lamin Kabba Bajo,  spoke of the need for people to demonstrate 
allegiance to the ruling APRC party.  The electorate in Kombo Central, he remarked, 
should reciprocate the development  initiatives undertaken by the APRC 
government by voting for Mr. Abdou F.H.S  Jarjue.

UDP HOLD RALLY IN KOMBO CENTRAL
By Modou Jonga
As  official campaign kicked off on Wednesday 10th January, the United 
Democratic  Party held a mass Rally at the Brikama Sanneh Kunda grounds.
In his speech,  Mr. Ousman G.A Kebbeh, the UDP candidate for Kombo Central 
constituency, urged  the electorate of Kombo Central to vote for him in the 
forthcoming Parliamentary  election as he is resolved to usher in meaningful 
development in their  constituency. Mr. Kebbeh further expressed optimism that he 
will sweep the polls  in the forthcoming National Assembly election. On his 
plans Mr. Kebbeh said he  would collaborate with development partners to bring 
development in Kombo  Central if he is elected come January 25th.
The political rally which was  attended by supporters of the UDP within 
Brikama and its surroundings witnessed  the shifting of allegiance of supporters to 
the UDP. Also speaking at the rally  was the UDP Chairman in Kombo Central, 
Bolong I Sanneh. Mr. Sanneh urged the  electorate to vote massively for Kebbeh 
in the forthcoming January 25th  Parliamentary polls. 

‘MY VICTORY IS INEVITABLE’
Lamin  Bojang [APRC]
Mr. Lamin MM Bojang, the APRC candidate for the Kombo East  Parliamentary 
seat, has expressed optimism that he will outclass his opponents  come January 
25. Bojang made this statement in an interview with this reporter.  
Bojang swaggered that his victory is a forgone conclusion .He indicated that  
he will complement the efforts of the APRC if he is elected into office. He  
called on his supporters to maintain peace and order throughout the campaign  
period and after the elections .He urged voters to vote for him massively in 
the  forthcoming elections. He noted that he is resolved to empower the youths 
and  the womenfolk if he is elected by the voters. He said he has plans to 
establish  a storage facility in the constituency for the women who work in the 
gardens. He  concluded by urging the Independent Electoral Commission to be 
steadfast and to  ensure a smooth voting process on polling day.

“AVOID POLITICS OF  VIOLENCE”
SAYS UDP KOMBO EAST CANDIDATE
By Modou Jonga
As the battle  for the hearts and minds of the electorate intensifies, the 
UDP candidate for  Kombo East Constituency, Mr. Lamin R. Darboe, has called on 
the electorate in  all contested constituencies to desist from the politics of 
violence.
Mr.  Darboe made this remark during an interview with this reporter on 
Tuesday  16th.
He urged the electorate in his constituency to desist from  provocations, 
insults and verbal harassment. Mr. Darboe has also called on his  supports to 
come in large numbers to vote massively for him.
Despite  conceding victory to an APRC candidate in a by-election held in the 
Kombo East,  the UDP candidate expressed optimism and confidence in sweeping 
the polls, come  January 25th.
On his plans, if elected in to office, he said he intends to  distribute six 
milling machines to villages in the constituency and improve the  road network 
between Mandina-Ba and Jiboro in order to facilitate transportation  in the 
area.  

UTG SEMINAR ON GENETICAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TO  CANCER
By Isatou Bittaye
The University of The Gambia (UTG), on Wednesday  17th January 2007 held its 
second inaugural seminar on the theme “Genetical  Susceptibility to Cancer.” 
The presenter at the seminar was Dr. Peter Aka,  Senior Scientist MRC The 
Gambia and was held at the Girls Guide Skill Centre,  Kanifing.
In his opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the UTG, Professor  Andreas 
Steigen said that cancer is a disease affecting genes and may emanate  from 
external factors like smoking, alcohol and pollution.
In his  presentation, Dr. Peter Aka said that cancer is a complex disease 
like diabetes,  heart disease and kidney disease. Dr. Aka added that all complex 
diseases arise  from a combination of changes that occur in the same cell over 
a period of time.  He said that in cancer, these changes accumulate over when 
a critical number of  changes occur in the same cell. Dr. Aka indicated that 
cancer is caused by the  changes in the gene and exposure to smoking, alcohol, 
pollution or  carcinogen.
He noted that there are many different types of cancer, each  displaying 
different combinations of changes. He, however noted that even within  a single 
type, such as lung cancer or colon cancer, clinicans can identify  subtypes, 
each marked by unique set of changes. Dr. Aka indicated that a person  who does 
not drink alcohol and smokes cigarettes may live up to about 90 years  without 
getting liver or lung cancer, another person who smokes and drinks the  same 
amount may get cancer at age 60. He added that a woman’s breast cancer  
responds to chemotherapy and her tumor shrinks while another woman’s breast  cancer 
shows no change after the same treatment. In explaining how can these  
differences be explained, Dr. Aka indicated that scientist think that variations  in 
the human genome called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs can help them  
to answer these questions and to catalogue the unique sets of changes involved 
 in different cancers.
Dr. Aka noted that scientists see SNPs as a potential  tool to improve cancer 
diagnosis and treatment planning. He added that they also  suspect that SNPs 
may play a role in the different responses to treatments seen  among cancer 
patients. SNPs may also be involved in the different levels of  individual 
cancer risk observed. Dr. Aka said that genome contains genes and the  similarity 
of genes in different persons is 99%. He indicated that variation is  a change 
in one base sequence and SNPs are the most common type of variation  which 
transforms the sequence of genes into amino acids. Dr. Aka further said  that 
smoking is susceptible to lung cancer prior to the inhalation of  carcinogen, 
noting that a person with snip has a higher chance of getting cancer  than a 
person without snip. Dr. Aka indicated that the preventive modes from  genetical 
susceptibility to cancer are:
Ø Avoidance of the consumption of  alcohol and tobacco
Ø Avoidance of carcinogen at work and exposure to  pollution.
Ø Protect yourself from excessive sunlight 
Ø Limit fats and  calories in your diet.
Ø Consume more fruits and vegetables.
The seminar  was closed with a question and answer session. The moderator of 
the seminar was  Professor N.F Awasom.

HALIFA CLARIFIES ON REPORT OF D500 MILLION  EXPENDITURE
Reacting to the report captioned “Halifa Exposes D500M  Unauthorized 
Expenditure,” Halifa Sallah indicated that what he did was to  scrutinize the 
estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2007 and expose  miscellaneous expenditure 
amounting to 50 million and 20 million for 2006 and  2007, respectively, for 
settlement of confirmed outstanding debts; that he  pointed out to the Secretary 
of State that such an expenditure continues to  reoccur year after year. He 
observed that these outstanding debts confirms that  the debts were not part of 
a normal budgeting process. That he questioned the  legitimacy of paying for a 
debt that is incurred outside the normal budgeting  process. He said that it 
is the SoS for Finance who indicated that the item will  continue to reoccur 
since such debts amount to 500 million dalasis. This to  Halifa reveals gross 
financial indiscipline and lack of transparency and  accountability of the 
budgetary process. He indicated that reports should state  the facts as they are.

Letter to the Editor
ACUTE LEVEL OF  POVERTY AND DRASTIC UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE GAMBIA
Generally speaking  poverty is a kind of inheritance because Africans have 
long been in poverty. But  that of unemployment is due to negligence and lack of 
sympathy for the  youngsters who have to be future leaders and inheritants of 
future Gambian  Society. Instead of workers or the employed to think of 
salary increment, we  have to think about others also who have finished twelve 
years of education. We  have to be fair with ourselves and stop being so selfish, 
in order to eliminate  hunger and alleviate poverty. As unemployment rates 
increase there is a tendency  to engender high levels of prostitution for the 
girls and for the boy youths,  there could be circumstances to become criminals 
or drug peddlers. The wealth or  money to be used for salary increment for 
those at the top can be used to create  employment for many youths.

Repatriated Migrants’ Case  Adjourned
By Modou Jonga
The trial involving Ismaila Jawla and twenty-nine  other repatriated Gambian 
migrants was on Thursday 18th January, 2007 adjourned  till Monday 29th 
January by the Brikama Magistrates’ Court.
The deportees are  charged with malicious damage to the property of the 
Gambia Civil Aviation  Authority (GCAA) at the Banjul International Airport on the 
28th October last  year. The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the 
charge preferred  against them. The Police prosecutor is ASP Badjie.

DEAD BODY FOUND  IN BUSH
By Baboucarr Ceesay
On Tuesday 16th January, 2006, the death body  of Isatou Taal, a young girl 
believed to be between the ages of 17 and 18 was  found in the remote bush of 
Kiang Jifarong, in the Kiang West District, Lower  River Region.
Isatou who was said to be mentally imbalanced left home to  fetch groundnuts 
from the farms and got missing for nearly a month. Her  whereabouts remained 
unknown for a long time until lately when she was found  lying dead and decayed 
in a distant bush by a native farmer of Jifarong village  who identified her 
and reported the matter to the villagers. 
According to  some villagers of Jifarong, Isatou’s long disappearance left 
the natives of  Jifarong in an alarming situation. A female relative of Isatou 
said that elders  of the village and youths have done their best by carrying 
out a thorough search  for this poor young girl but she was no where to be found 
on the farms until she  died.
A concerned old woman told this reporter that disabled persons should  be 
cared for and people should give more solidarity to them; that leaving a  young 
mentally disabled child like Isatou going to the farm alone is an issue to  
talk about.
Elders went for the body of Isatou and it was finally laid to  rest on 
Tuesday afternoon.

33 GRADUATE FROM MRC BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES  COURSE
By Isatou Bittaye
The Medical Research Council-The Gambia on  Wednesday 18th January 2007, held 
a graduation ceremony on diploma and  certificate courses in Biomedical 
Sciences by distance learning with the  University of West Minster in the United 
Kingdom. The ceremony was held for 33  graduands, 19 in the Diploma Course and 
14 graduands in Certificate on  biomedical sciences course. In her opening 
speech, Mrs. Christine Croombes, head  of staff at the development and Training 
unit at MRC, said that MRC is  determined to play its part in making and 
strengthening science capacity in  Afirca and aims at increasing the number of 
skilled professional staff in the  sphere of science. Mrs. Christine Croombes added 
that MRC has established a  highly successful record of investing in the 
training of scientific researchers  at Master and Doctoral levels. She indicated 
that MRC has developed a vision of  learning pathway that would take promising 
school leavers in the Gambia and  develop them so that they could work in a way 
which will contribute to  scientific enquiry 
Mr. Gibril Bah, scientific officer and head of  Haematology  at MRC, 
indicated that the qualification for the certificate  course in biomedical science 
require a student to pass 6 course modules  including cell biology and Human 
Physiology, Basic Biochemistry  and  Immunology, Statistic and Numeracy, Basic 
Haematology, Basic Microbiology and  Basic Genetics and Molecular Biology. Mr. 
Bah added that the aim of the  certificate course is to assist laboratory 
technicians to use their foundation  of biological knowledge in the understanding of 
simple techniques in biomedical  research and to prepare them academically 
for study on the diploma course. Mr.  Bah further said that the aims of the 
Diploma are:
·      ‘To provide a highly quality educational and academic experience to 
our  laboratory technicians.
·     To provide a recognizable  professional qualification and
·     To prepare  participants for potential further study opportunities
The course consists of  six modules, each with a rating of 15 credits 
including introductory Biomedical  Sciences, Micro Biology, Immunology, Parasitology 
Haemotology, Laboratory  Management and Safety’. Mr. Bah noted that for a 
student to be awarded with the  Diploma all the six modules must be passed to 
accumulate a total of 90 credits.  Deputising for the SoS for Health, the Deputy 
Permanent Secretary, Mr. Omar  Taal, said that MRC has made significant 
achievement in the provision of quality  training. Mr. Taal added that the 
development of training in biomedical sciences  has also been extended to the Civil 
Service. He said that the certificate is  important and the number has increased 
and he hoped that further studies will  increase. 
Mr. Tumani Corrah, MRC Unit Director, said that MRC The Gambia is  the UK’s 
largest investment in Medical Research in the tropics. He added that  MRC is 
focused on the development and testing of interventions aimed at  preventing or 
reducing some of the major infections that cause ill health and  death in The 
Gambia, Africa and the developing World. Mr. Corrah indicated that  MRC 
research programmes include Malaria, acute respiratory infections,  Tuberculosis, 
HIV/AIDS, Measles and Hepatitis which are the disease responsible  for millions 
of death in our sub-region. The MRC Director added that The Gambia  was one of 
the first countries in Africa to introduce Hepatitis B and  Heamophillus 
influenzae Type B vaccination into the EPI, contributing towards  making The Gambia
’s EPI one of Africa’s best.
Deputising for the SoS for  Education, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Baboucarr 
Boye, said that graduation is  a point at which one moves from status a 
without qualification to a status with  qualification. He said that DOSE 
Sponsorship and advertisements are always  filled by applications from biomedical 
sciences students because of their  determination in science. Mr. Boye added that 
MRC should on how to work with UTG  for the biomedical science course to be 
transformed into a degree program. Mr.  Boye concluded by urging the graduands to 
work as a group to serve their country  and the challenge before them is what 
next after qualification.   Certificates were presented to the graduands by 
Professor Sarah Rowland Jones  and the vote of thanks was given by Tisbeh 
Faye-Joof, a graduands in the Diploma  biomedical sciences.

UDP BAKAU CANDIDATE TRIAL ADJOURNED
By  Modou Jonga
The trial involving the state and the UDP candidate for the Bakau  
Constituency in the forth coming National Assembly elections, Mr. Nfamara S.  Bojang, at 
the Brikama Magistrate Court has been adjourned to Monday 29th  January, 2007.
Mr. Bojang who pleaded not guilty to two criminal charges was  first 
arraigned on 10th January before Magistrate E.F M’bai.
On count one,  Mr. Bojang (the accused) is charged with conspiracy to commit 
a felony contrary  to section 369 of the criminal code. He is alleged to have 
conspired with one  Abubacarr Sawo in the month of January 2005 at Busumbala 
Village in the Western  Region.
On count two, Mr. Bojang is charged with being in possession of  forged 
Gambian Currency notes on 23rd January 2005 at the kombo coastal road in  the 
Western Region. The police prosecutor is ASP Tijan  Badjie.

UTGSU PRESIDENT ELECT SPEAKS OUT
By Yaya Bajo
The  president elect of the University of The Gambia Student’s union, UTGSU, 
Kemo A.M  Cham, has told Foroyaa in an exclusive interview that he has 
dedicated his  academic life to the course of Unionism for the past two years at the  
university. He added that this has given him the opportunity to explore the  
nature of student politics within the University Campus which has given rise 
to  his subsequent victory over his opponent.
Mr. Cham who is pursuing a degree  programme in Biology and Agriculture, 
noted that University Students in The  Gambia face numerous problems and this has 
prompted him to surface in order to  contribute his quota towards addressing 
some of these pressing issues. The union  president elect asserted that his 
priorities will be, amongst other things, to  promote a closer cooperation 
between government and the university  administration, encouragement of student 
participation in unionism, fund raising  programmes and adequate and timely 
service delivery.
Quizzed as to how he  could address scholarship problems facing university 
students, Cham replied that  he acknowledge the fact that the majority of 
students in the university are from  poor family backgrounds who deserved to be 
helped. 
“This issue of tuition  fee has played a great part in stifling the 
performance of certain students in  the university because of the psychological torture 
they undergo,” he lamented.  Mr. Cham stated that as union leaders, they are 
doing everything possible to  address scholarship problems, adding that that 
is why they have a scholarship  Trust Fund put in place. “Fundraising has not 
been easy though, but I think with  the help of you, the media, we shall pay 
for our first beneficiaries in the  soonest possible time,” he remarked. He 
concluded by calling on other  philanthropic organisations to extend their helping 
hands to the students at the  country’s highest institution of learning. 


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