A former Daily Observer Senior Staff Reporter Alieu Badara Sowe, made a disturbing revelation before Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations (TRRC) on Monday, when he said his own Editor Sheriff Bojang sr, handed a news script he wrote about a shooting incident at dictator Jammeh’s Kanilai villa to the personnel of the onetime widely feared National Intelligence Agency, the (NIA). Sowe says Editor Bojang snitches on him to the NIA command by turning in his news script to the agency. Both Sowe and Bojang were arrested in connection with the said story. It was during the course of the NIA interrogations, Sowe said, he was told by his interrogators about a certain aspect of his piece, which was censored by Editor Bojang. The relevant line of the piece had to do with Sowe’s claims that Jammeh went missing during the allege shooting incident and soldiers were searching for him. He says Sheriff Bojang cooperated with the NIA investigators by handing them over his story script without a court order. Sheriff Bojang is the proprietor of the Standard Newspaper.
This followed a lead story published by the Daily Observer Newspaper, under the authorship of reporter Alieu Badara Sowe, who reported that a Senegalese helicopter was shot at after been spotted flying around the vicinity of Kanilai. The story went on to state that the Senegalese were on surveillance amid reports that Jammeh was allegedly supplying arms to the MFDC rebels in the southern province of Casamance.
As soon as the story hits the newsstand, Mr. Sowe was arrested together with Sheriff Bojang. Sowe spent four nights at the NIA under horrible conditions. He was made to sleep on a concrete floor; while he refused to accept food served to him by the NIA for four consecutive days. He was warned by a senior official of the agency not to eat any food given to him while under detention. He was told that he risked being poisoned by the NIA.
Sowe testified that his Editor Sheriff Bojang was held for a day and released. Bojang was hailed by the NIA for censoring that aspect of Sowe’s reportage intimating that Jammeh was in hiding in Kanilai, following the shooting incident. Sowe says he was told by his interrogators that Bojang acted professionally by refusing to publish “his stupid” portrayal of the President as a coward.
According to Alieu Badara Sowe, he was harassed by his interrogators while being held at the NIA. He says some of the intelligent officers assigned to interrogate him, were under the influence of alcohol. They employed all kinds of intimidating tactics to have Sowe to reveal his source of information, but he refused.
On the fourth day of his detention, Sowe said he was asked if he could consider working for the NIA, but he refused. He was told that some “journalists” were under the payroll of the NIA, but notwithstanding, Sowe says, he turned down the job offer accorded to him.
Mr. Sowe had experienced numerous arrests and detentions during dictator Jammeh’s rule. He testified that his boss Sheriff Bojang, was eventually compensated by The Gambian state after compromising his editorial script to the NIA. Bojang was appointed Managing Director of the Daily Observer Newspaper. He later became Information Minister under Jammeh’s rule, until the change of government back in 2016.
Sale of the Daily Observer
Mr. Sowe was attending a journalism training program in Egypt, in 1999, when the Daily Observer Newspaper, owned by Kenneth Y Best, a Liberian journalist, was sold to Amadou Samba, a close associate of dictator Jammeh. Sowe found what he calls a “demoralized staff” and working culture upon his return to work at the Observer. His News Editor Demba Ali Jawo, became the first causality of the new owners of the paper. His Editor-in-Chief Baba Galleh Jallow, the current Executive Secretary of the TRRC, had to resign in protest to set up the Independent Newspaper. He was replaced by Sheriff Bojang.
Jammeh’s supporters such as journalist Nange Thomas and later Saja Taal later joined the paper’s editorial team. They would monitor reporters work and in turn would report to the State House in Banjul.
Badara wanted to leave the Observer to join the Independent. He was already offered a job there. His new Managing Director Sariang Ceesay, had prevailed on him to stay. He was promoted to the position of Sub-Editor. He was also assured of editorial freedom and independence by Ceesay and co.
Sowe later found out through the Janneh Commission that the Observer was bought through Gambian government taxpayers funds through the Central Bank. Amadou Samba was just used as a front to buy the paper from Best. Amadou’s friend Sheriff Bojang, was Mr. Best’s handler in The Gambia during the sale process. He introduced Best to Samba.
Sowe’s Bissau assignment.
Sowe started to feel the censorship culture at the Daily Observer, following an assignment to cover the Guinea Bissau power struggle. The late Ansumana Manneh, the former Bissau Chief of Defence Staff, and the late Neino Viera had a showdown at the time.
Sowe was hosted at the Ambassador’s residence in Bissau upon arrival. Mamat Taal was the Ambassador at the time. He never stayed long at the Ambassador’s residence. He was literally ejected from the property, following Sowe’s move to sound the opinions of Gambians living in Bassau during the war. He wanted to know as to whether The Gambian community were being provided with Consular services among others. This never went down well with the Ambassador. He was relocated to a new residential home, in which many people had deserted because of the war.
Weeks later Sowe, returned to Banjul. He was invited by the former British High Commissioner for a drink, where he briefed the Diplomat about the situation of the war in Bissau. He was met by Amadou Samba, the purported owner of the Observer, who whispered to him that he should try to see him later.
Sowe says the High Commissioner was bit apprehensive. They had to end their dinner. Sowe was drove home by the High Commissioner’s driver.
Sowe fired
Soon after reporting to work the following day or so, Badara, said he was informed by his MD Sariang Ceesay that Mr. Samba had asked about him. That Samba said he wanted to meet him. Sowe told Ceesay that he doesn’t have Samba’s phone contacts and if the matter was of urgency, Samba knows where to find him.
What followed next was that Sowe was informed that his services with the Daily Observer had been terminated with immediate effect. He was told that the decision was taken in the best interest of both parties.
He also testified that his colleague Pa Nderry M’Bai was also fired shortly after he (Sowe) was let go by the paper. He said it became obvious that the new owners of the Daily Observer were targeting reporters and Editors critical of the regime.
Written By Pa Nderry M’Bai
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