The Gambia Police Force has defended government spokesman Ebrima G Sankareh over comment he made on a radio show linking the suspected cop killer to Brikama Area Council (BAC). 

Sankareh had claimed in a government statement aired on radio in the aftermath of the shooting alleging that the suspected shooter Ousainou Bojang worked with BAC as a security guard.

His statement was condemned by BAC officials and others as misleading. However police have defended Sankareh’s radio announcement, denying that it was misleading. 

 “The Office of the Inspector General of Police takes full responsibility for the entire statement delivered by The Gambia Government Spokesperson, Mr Ebrima G Sankareh about the tragic circumstances surrounding the Tuesday, 12 September 2023 double murder case at Sukuta-Jabang Traffic Light.

“While it is regrettable that Mr Sankareh’s statements about the shooter, Ousainou Bojang’s occupation as a security guard at the Brikama Area Council angered sections of the society, what the Spokesperson reported was entirely accurate as provided by the Office of the Inspector General of Police based on the outcome of preliminary investigations at the material time in question,” the police said. 

“Like all murder and high-profile cases, preliminary investigations are subject to change based on the suspect’s pattern of disclosure and that is exactly what happened in this case. This was the information provided to Mr Sankareh for his routine radio appearance.

“The Gambia Government reassures the public that everything Mr Sankareh said that morning was based on preliminary information related to the circumstances surrounding the shooter and his occupation which was furnished by the Office of The Inspector General of Police. As Gambia Government Spokesperson, Mr Sankareh is at liberty to report, comment and defend Government’s communications policies and programmes about any Ministry, Department, Agency, or entity in The Gambia and internationally,” the statement added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba