NIA Arrests Observer Reporter, Editors Condemn the Arrest Email This Page Print This Page The Daily Observer (Banjul) March 19, 2002 Posted to the web March 19, 2002 Ibrahim JT Brown & Alhagie Camara Observer's reporter and head of Provincial Desk, Demba Sambou, has been arrested by the National Intelligence Agency officers at Bansang, while attending a presentation ceremony at the Bansang Hospital. In a telephone interview with our reporter yesterday afternoon, Mr Sambou said an NIA officer from Bansang found him at the Bansang Hospital and picked him up for interrogation at the the NIA office. He said he could not recall what offence he had committed to warrant his arrest. However, Demba said he believed it was in connection with a story published in the Daily Observer on the sudden death of an NIA senior officer, the late Adboulie Gaye, who reportedly died in a motor accident. Mr Sambou was later taken to the Basse NIA office, where officers questioned him about where he got his facts from or why he did not consult them on the matter before publication. Sambou however, told them that a victim of the accident who was admitted at Bansang Hospital gave him the information and that his facts were correct. The victim he said, was Mamie Drammeh, whom, he said was still receiving treatment at the Bansang Hospital. The police public relations officer, Inspector Sarjo Keita could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, Sambou is said to have been released. However, Observer's edito-in-chief, Kebba Dibba and his deputy Momodou Musa Touray, have expressed outrage at such a conduct by the intelligence agency, emphasising the need for cooperation between the press and the security forces. Mr Dibba said by all indications, the reporter was doing his job and had posed no threat to whatever security, national or otherwise. "Whether it was the act of a rouge individual element within the intelligence agency or not, remains to be seen but such conduct is unacceptable". He urged the authorities to take the necessary steps to avoid such an uncalled for behaviour. "We are partners in national development and the security should not see us as threats to national security," deputy editor Touray reiterated. Mr Dibba and his team vowed to take up the matter with the NIA top brass to minimise such a thing in the future. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~