A prison inmate has recounted his sexual assault at the hands of a prison warder at the country’s notorious Mile Two prison. 

The inmate, Baba Galleh Jallow, who was testifying before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) on Monday, said he was sexually assaulted during a strip-searched. 

He said he was facing murder charges when the incident happened at Mile Two prison.  

“Lamin Sowe put his hand in my anus. They said they were going to screen us and they took three of us when they were taking us in,” he said.

“After they did that, the nine of us were taken to the security wing [of the prison] and when we got there, we were dispersed, some were taken to number five confinement, some were taken to number four confinement and they took me to number one confinement,” he added.

Detailing his arrest at Welingaraba, Mr Jallow said: “the officers told me to undress and I said ‘Famara Jallow why would I undress my clothes completely?’

“And he said to me ‘you will undress or what we did to Samba Doro we will do more than that to you’, so like I removed my trouser and underpants and I remained naked.

“And during that Omar Dumbuya picked up small stones and he came and made a heap here and a heap on the other side and he asked me to kneel on them. And is where I knelt down and where Famara Jallow was seated on top of a tyre and he took the tyre and he asked me to raised up my hand and they place the wheel on my hand and said Baba Galleh if this wheel falls we will kill you,” Jallow explained.

The TRRC hearing into human right abuses during former president Yahya Jammeh’s regime continues. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba