Mr. Ali Ceesay, former prison warden and victim of wrongful dismissal and unlawful convictions has told the TRRC that under Yahya Jammeh, prisons were used as punishment centers instead of for rehabilitation.
Born in Kerr Ardo in June 15th, 1970 Ali Ceesay said he joined Gambia Prison Service (GPS) on 1st November, 1988, and became a senior principal officer in 2003, chief superintendent in 2008 and his last promotion was in 2010 as a commissioner.
In 2004, he was at the disciplinary section assisting Faal. Mr. Ceesay testified that he was in the kitchen from 1998 to 2008; and that the high protein diet was a standard food.
He explained that the food that was cooked for the general diet was not enough because of what they took from the general diet to cook the protein diet. Testifying on stealing of Prison’s rason, he said he can't deny it as it was being rumoured but that he can’t confirm it.
He alleged that an officer collecting money from a prisoner created a problem for the visitor during Ndoi Darboe's time and that this led to the person’s demotion. On the issue of beri beri, he told the Commission that he tried his best by changing the diet, at some point, from 'mbahal,' to groundnut chew with fish.
He said between 2005 and 2006 he was still in the kitchen but could not attest to the issue of a dead bull brought in the prisons, because he was not working on that day, as he doesn't work on weekends. However, the witness said he heard that some people died after eating the bull while others fell sick.
According to him, he later realised that Musa Suso wrote about that incident in a book. As a result of that, he testified, David was fired from his duties in 2007.
Ceesay explained that army detainees were taken in by their fellow army men while the civilians were escorted to Mile2 by the NIA and army respectively.
He said on the side of the army the ‘Black blacks’ used to escort them while sometimes they were being escorted by military men wearing the same uniforms. "Sometimes I hear that most of the people were taken there by Junglers," he said.
Mr. Ceesay further informed the Commission that detainees were usually kept in the Maximum-Security Wing. “Those responsible of Maximum-Security Wing, were myself, Thomos Jarju, Ebrima Tiana, Faal and many others”.
He said he was at the Maximum Security Wing just as observer; that if a prisoner got sick, they usually reported it to David Colley and a military officer called Jagai used to accompany detainees to Hospital.
“Some people were denied medical attention and one of them was Abdoulie Kujabi, who was severely tortured. I called Warf Kujabi who was a medical officer to attend to him because Abdoulie Kujabi was just lying in one postion since arrival and when Warf looked at him, he cried because of the condition Mr. Abdoulie Kujabi was.
He went on: " David Colley sought permission from State House before taking Abdoulie Kujabi to hospital, who was later admitted to the Private Blocks of RVTH”.
He went further: “The NIA also used to take detainees away and the members of the army used to accompany them as escorts”.
He said NIA Oeparatives Omar Cham and Lamin Darboe were usually part of the escorts and that people like Pierre Mendy were mercilessly tortured that he had to order his subordinates to get warm water and massage Pierre's back.
On whether the NIA has the legal authority to take anyone from Mile2 to NIA and torture them he said prison wardens were operating under the atmosphere of fear.
On the issue of Kanyi Ba Kanyi, he said he could not tell those who took him away from Mile2 because in most cases it happened at night.
"I saw Kanyi Ba Kanyi personally but when he was taken away from Mile2 I was not there", he responded. He added that if inmates were brought in and out of Mile2 at odd hours, he did not hear about it.
On the issue of Musa Suso he said Suso was having a mobile in Mile2 and David Colley ordered for the recruits to be called to beat Suso and that Nuha Darboe was responsible of the recruits at the time and he was present together with Salifou Jarju and others. “When Salifou Jarju got the Simcard from Musa Suso, David gave it back to Jarju, then Musa Suso and Salifou Jarju went to the Police”. The witness told the Commission, that one of his nephews was detained by one Sheikh Joof.
"Nobody has the authority to detain prison officers other than the Director General. There were many people who were detained in that manner”. He said while serving as the Acting Director of Operations, Gambia Prisons Service, David Colley was the Director of Prisons and at that time Ensa Badjie was detained there and was also tortured.
He said Abdoulie Bojang, a prison warden told him that there was always a quarrel between Ensa Badjie and Soriba Conde because Soriba always provoked Ensa by asking him about their money, which resulted in altercations.
Mr. Ceesay further explained that he later went to the scene and shook hands with all of them and later told Soriba that if he troubled anyone he will be sealed.
The witness said he was then called upon by the NIA and upon his arrival he was told to remove his juju's and handed over his phones and went upstairs where he met a panel comprising Mballow Kinteh and others. He was then told to write his name, tribe and schools he attended. They told him that he was helping Essa Badjie against other people because he was related to Ensa.
According to him, there was an infighting between Ensa Badjie, Benedict Jammeh and David Colley but he advised Soriba Conde not to allow anyone to use him against the NIA. He said he was charged with Ensa Badjie and paraded before GRTS TV for no wrong doing.
Ceesay said David Colley, Benedict Jammeh and Pa Harry Jammeh, all from Kanilai used their infighting to victimise him and was charged with interfering with a witness, threatening, amongst others. Benedict Jammeh, he said, was later charged with 101 counts while Pa Harry Jammeh was also convicted.
Mr. Ceesay attested that people who were very close to Yahya Jammeh ended up in Mile2 because they were boxing each other. He added that he was later convicted and sentenced to a fine of D30,000. On the 31st July, 2011, he went to David Colley and told him that their case was finished; adding that Lamin Sowe alias Jimbo told him that David Colley had instructed for him to borrow D30,000 and later refund him which never happened. He said he is still pursuing his case of unlawful dismissal with the Ombudsman.
In his concluding remarks, Ceesay said what happened from 1994 to 2016 should be a lesson for all Gambians and that tribalism should be put aside. "I am also appealing for prisons to be reformed and officers be thought thoroughly about their job."
The witness argued that bringing fruits and good food for prisoners should not be a problem because it will reduce government expenditures on prisoners.
By Awa DK Conteh