Bombshell: The inside story on crushing poverty and joblessness that left former IGP desperately begging for a job
By Sainey Darboe, Editor-in-Chief:
For Essa Badjie, the former Inspector General of police under Yahya Jammeh, meteoric ascensions have been soon followed by steep falls.
Better known by his sobriquet ‘Jesus’, he would get life in jail following a dramatic trial for involvement in drug trafficking among other offences, but was later issued an executive pardon.
Reports of Ensa Badjie’s reinstatement in the Gambia Police Force with the rank of a Commissioner has been met with fury and derision as many perceive it as recycling of former Jammeh operatives and cast doubt on the much-vaunted security sector reform.
But a seasoned security expert with sources in the inner sanctum of Gambia police hierarchy who spoke to Gunjuronline on a strict promise of confidentiality revealed:
“I have correct information that he lobbied for it because he is jobless and has nothing to do. However, if I were him, I would rather lobby to be appointed as defence attaché in the Foreign Service than to take a rank below his juniors”.
Writing from Germany, former Daily Observer editor Assan Sallah observed contrary to certain media reports, Badjie has been re-appointed as deputy Crime Management Co-ordinator (CMC) but not CMC.
He continued:
“Certain media reports suggest he is appointed as Crime Management Co-ordinator of the Gambia Police Force, a position he once held before being appointed as IGP under former president Jammeh’s regime in June 2008, but this is not true.
Besides, the re-instatement is a demotion for Ensa Badjie both in terms of rank and designation.
Badjie who was AIG Demba Sowe’s former boss (IGP) will now work under him as his rank (Commissioner) is below the rank of his former junior, who is now an AIG.
Commissioner Badjie replaces Deputy Commissioner Buba Sarr, who may likely be redeployed as Regional Crime coordinator at the Kanifing Municipality (KM) and deputy commissioner Pateh Bah, who is currently the Regional Crime coordinator at KM, may likely be transferred to the West Coast Region (Brikama) as Regional Crime Coordinator at the discretion of the IGP Mamour Jobe”.
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