Tension is looming in Sotokoi village, located between Wulingkamang and Brufut, as man allegedly sold an estimated land area of 450 metres occupied by 40 homeowners many of whom are Gambians based in the United States and European nations.

A bulldozer was used to pulled down the houses and fences erected by their owners. The demolition is said to have started in 2016.

The group alleged that the claimant sold their homes to a Gambian-based Sudanese Real Estate Company, Unity Property.

 “We feel we are victims of land grabbing and victims to a system that’s failing us, and we are victims of these real estates [fraud where people are ] coming in doing all kinds of [illegal] land sales.

“We are still appealing to the government  and all parties involved in this to basically take action about this thing,” Abdoulie Manneh, one of the affected homeowners, told reporters at a news conference on Saturday.

Haddijatou Njie, whose 20-year-old piece of land structure was demolished, called on the authorities to help them get their lands back. 

She urged the public to be cautious of the activities of some real estates companies and individuals dealing in lands.

Ms Njie who casually visits The Gambia on holidays said when she came for a ten days holidays, she found out that her 100×100 metre land was being sliced in pieces and sold to the real estates.

“When I came, I found this whole place has changed and I asked what happened and they told me the place has been demolished by a bulldozer. 

“And they said one Brufut resident claimed he owned this place where we have our homes. And I asked who is that man: they said he is Omar Bojang.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba