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The Southern province of Casamance in neighboring Senegal, has been dictator Yahya Jammeh’s main economic fortune—with Jammeh raking couple of millions of dollars on an annual basis from timbers sold to him by MFDC rebel fighters—thanks to the growing timber industry in Casamance, Mr. Bai Lowe, a former self-confessed member of Jammeh’s assassin team tells Freedom Radio on Tuesday during an exclusive interview. Mr. Lowe, speaking in a 161.19 second long interview, alleged that dictator Jammeh’s own brother, one Sainey Jammeh, a Casamance native, is coordinating the illegal timber trafficking and sale in the war ravaged region. Mr. Lowe further alleged that Jammeh supplied sawmill timber cutting machines to Sainey Jammeh, who works side by side with the MFDC rebels to fetch timber for him in the Casamance densely populated forest.
Mr. Bai Lowe, himself confessed that he too was operating a sawmill timber cutting machine in Casamance. Lowe said he hired a member of the MFDC rebel faction to fetch timber for him. Lowe was able to build two luxurious houses at his native home in Karang, Senegal from the proceeds of the money he derived from the illegal timber trafficking from Casamance. He said he was warned by his parents not to build a house in the Gambia due to the country’s political uncertainty. Lowe’s father is a Senegalese by origin, and his mum is a native of Fassnjaga Choi in the Gambia.
The former Army Warrant officer said timber sale is a lucrative business in the Gambia. He told Freedom Radio that the country’s President Yahya Jammeh has MFDC rebels working for him in Casamance to cut timber for him. Mr. Lowe claimed that Jammeh is making huge money from the time business. He said there are Chinese investors in the Gambia, whose job is to buy the trafficked timbers from Casamance. He added that after processing the timber locally, the Chinese will export the timber overseas.
Neighboring Casamance, is a rich region—blessed with fertile soil, natural vegetation, and animal husbandry. The separatist rebellion activities have disrupted the region’s much cherished peace—with Jammeh harboring MFDC fighters in the Gambia. A significant amount of properties and lives have been lost due to the crisis.
According to Warrant officer Bai Lowe, cannabis trafficking is also part of their mission as members of Yahya Jammeh’s assassin team. Lowe said he was briefed by his superiors—notably Major Sanna Manjang and Nuha Badjie, who informed him that the President has given them the permission (clearance) to collect cannabis from the MFDC rebels in the Casamance bush. Mr. Lowe said Manjang and Badjie told him that the proceeds of the cannabis sale are usually hand delivered to the Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh.
As a driver, Warrant officer Bai Lowe, said he has been sent on numerous occasions by Major Sanna Manjag, Nuha Badjie, Major General Saul Badjie, and General Borra Colley to pick up cannabis from rebel camps in the Casamance. He said the rebels normally provide protection for the cannabis farmers in the region. He added that after selling the cannabis, the rebels will be paid some percentage derived from the proceeds of the nefarious marijuana trafficking.
Mr. Lowe said several tons of cannabis is smuggled into the Gambia every year by the Kanilai patrol team. He said his superiors sometimes will drive to the rebel camps along the Gambia/Senegal border to collect cannabis consignment from the rebels.
In a rather chilling and disturbing revelations, Bai Lowe said he has been sent to Basse, a regional town in the Gambia, on numerous occasions to deliver several kilograms of cannabis to one Dawda Jabbi by his boss Nuha Badjie. He said Mr. Jabbi is their drug sale contact in Basse. Jabbi helps them to sell the trafficked drugs from Casamance, he said. Dawda Jabbi is currently in jail as a result of cannabis supplied to him by Nuha Badjie, he added.
In the town of Abuko, Bai Lowe said one Mr. Kebbeh serves as a “drug pusher” for them. He said Major Manjang has assigned him to deliver drugs to Kebbeh on numerous occasions. He added that one Manjang Janko, a resident of Bakoteh, who was held in the wake of the discovery of the two billion dollars cocaine catch in the Gambia, was also part of their cannabis distribution clients. He said Manjang was selling drugs for them.
Warrant officer Bai Lowe said the Gambia is now a drug hub nation. He said he once arrested a boat filled with Cannabis in Jakoi Bintang, a village in the Fonnis. The matter was reported to the National Drug Enforcement Agency, which was widely publicized by the state media. But Lowe said he regretted reporting the cannabis interception case to the NDEA. His superiors Sanna Manjang and Nuha Badjie verbally reprimanded him for merely reporting the matter to the NDEA. He said Manjang and Badjie told him that he should have informed them before involving the NDEA into the matter. Lowe said Manjang told him that if he had not contacted the NDEA, they were going to seize the drugs and supply it to their local distributors across the country.
Mr. Lowe said the NDEA is aware of the Kanilai patrol team’s drug trafficking, but no one within the country’s security forces dare stop them. He said Sanna Manjang and Nuha Badjie told him that they got the backing of the President. He added that Mr. Manjang assured him that they can traffic drugs in any part of the country without having the fear of being stopped by the police or the NDEA.
Commenting on the activities of the MFDC in the region, Warrant officer Bai Lowe said they have arrested MFDC rebels on numerous occasions in the Gambia, but President Jammeh will order them to release the rebels. He said some of the rebels owned homes in the Gambia, and their families are being protected by the government. He cited one Pap Sanneh, Salifu Sarjo’s Deputy, as a classical example to back up his arguments. He said Pap Sanneh lives in the Gambia with his family.
According to Mr. Lowe, the MFDC rebels are also using the Gambia as a base to dispose Senegalese stolen vehicles, mobile phones and timber. He said they have stopped rebels driving Senegalese vehicles on Gambian soil loaded with arms and food ration. Lowe said the stolen vehicles had Gambian registration plate, Insurance, and its drivers are sometimes not licensed to drive. He added that a Gambian resident in Tabokoto area is helping the rebels to secure vehicle registration numbers, Insurance and driver’s license.
Regarding the torture of political detainees, Bai Lowe said the President Yahya Jammeh normally assign them to arrest and beat his opponents. He said Jammeh enjoys hearing people crying when being tortured by Sanna Manjang and his fellow assassin team members. Mr. Lowe said he remembered Jammeh personally calling the late Tumbul Tamba, the former leader of their group asking Tamba to put his phone on speaker while detainees were being tortured. He said Jammeh often smiles and laugh his ass off while he (Jammeh) heard on the background detainees crying due to the torture meted out to them by his colleagues.
Mr. Lowe said his fellow assassin team group members killed Kanyiba Kanyi, a former Chrisitan Children's Fund (CCF) employee, who was abducted from his family some years ago. Kanyiba Kanyi was abuducted and killed, following President Jammeh's instructions, Lowe said. Kanyi is a former supporter of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP).
Further commenting on how detainees are mistreated in the Gambia, Mr. Lowe said the late Vincent Jatta, the former Army Chief of Defense Staff, and Lang Tombong Tamba were mercilessly tortured by the jungullars. He explained that the torture takes in different forms. For example, Lowe said, detainees will have their penis tied to a rope and electrocuted. He added that there is another form of torture, which involves the sealing of detainees faces with plastic bags. He said while the torture season is in progress, Sanna Manjag and his group will burn plastic bags and let the burning plastic bags to melt on the bodies of their captives. He told Freedom Radio that the former CDS Lang Tombong Tamba, personally informed him (Lowe)while he was in jail that he was tortured by his colleagues.
Mr. Lowe, spent over one year in jail, following the escape of his colleague Musa Sarr. Sarr was involved in a car wreck, leaving passengers death and some seriously wounded. Sarr was assigned by Sanna Manjang to deliver cannabis for him and he had an accident on his way from the MFDC rebel camp. Sarr is now residing in Dakar, Senegal.
According to Bai Lowe, his arrest was malicious because he has no affiliation with Musa Sarr’s case. He said Sanna Manjang was mad at him, following his refusal to execute a secret killing mission for him. He said prior to the Sarr incident, Mr. Manjang instructed him to mobilize the assassin team to kill an unnamed person for the President. He added that Manjang told him that he has received a directive from the President Yahya Jammeh to execute a killing mission for him. Lowe said he has never killed any Gambian since he was initiated into the group. He told Manjang that he was going to seek his colleagues consent on the Presidential directives, but the “boys” told him that they were not going to carry out the mission. He said when he reported to Manjang about what the “boys” told him, Manjang told him that he should pass on to the killing mission. That, he (Lowe) shouldn’t worry about the mission. Mr. Lowe said Manjang then started isolating him. He said he was supposed to attend an ethic course training, but Manjang denied him the opportunity to attend the training.
With regards to the abduction of political dissidents overseas, Lowe said they were assigned by Yahya Jammeh to abduct a former Gambian army fugitive called “Sirjahall”, who was residing in Dakar, Senegal prior to resettling in Germany. Mr. Lowe said he doesn’t know the wanted former soldier at the time. He added that one of their group members had worked with the wanted soldier prior to him fleeing the country. He said Jammeh ordered them to pepper spray “Sirjahaal” when apprehended and smuggle him into the Gambia.
While they were at a football match at a Dakar stadium, Lowe said their colleague pointed “Sirjahall” in the crowd to them. A few minutes later, Lowe said Sirjahall disappeared from the crowd. He said they returned to Banjul without apprehending the wanted former soldier.
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