A torture victim of the Jammeh regime says his torturer is now his boss at the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG).

Lamin Karbou, who is a sergeant at the DLEAG, made the revelation on Thursday during his testimony before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).

Mr. Karbou narrated his traumatic experiences at the infamous NIA headquarters where he claimed he was tortured by two officers Jim Ebrima Drammeh,
Alagie Morr (Edrisa Jobe) and their subordinates.

He said Jim Ebrima Drammeh is now the director of operations at the DLEAG (Drug Squad).

Mr. Karbou said his ordeal started after he refused to change his statement in a case involving the two state operatives (Jim Ebrima and Alagi Morr) who were accused of drug dealings.

He alleged that Jim and Morr were members of a cocaine dealing syndicate at the NIA who were working with some drug dealers from Guinea Bissau.

The DLEAG said he was ordered to arrest the Bissau Guinean drug dealers at Kembujeh village after a tip off. He said he went with another officer from his agency to arrest the alleged drug dealers.

He added when he arrived at the village he met the NIA operatives who were impersonating officers of the Drug Squad.

Mr. Karbou told the commission that the NIA officers were trying to cover their tracks by pretending to arrest the drug dealers whom they were working with.

He said the NIA officers at the scene stopped them from arresting the suspects. He said one of the NIA officers threatened them by firing a shot in the air and telling them “this is a show of the NIA and not the Drug Squad.”

He said he reported the incident to his boss at the Drug Squad who made a complaint to the NIA director.

Mr Karbou said he was invited to the NIA to make a statement of the drug raid at Kembujeh village.

He said at the NIA he was detained and tortured when he refused to change what he believed was a true account of the incident to that the “false statement” the NIA officers who were suspected of drug dealing had made.

Mr Karibou said he was charged with drug possession and remanded at Mile Two.

He said after several years of detention and with no witness to support the prosecution the State withdrew the charges against him. He said he was acquitted and discharged at the Banjul High Court.

Mr Karbou told the commission that he found it “painful” working with one of the men that “unlawfully detained and tortured him”.