The Point newspaper learned through reliable sources, and can confirm that a former judge of the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in Banjul, Justice Emmanuel Nkea, is “WANTED” by the police in The Gambia.
When this news was received, this newspaper sent reporters to several police stations in the Kanifing Municipality, including Serrekunda police station, and the police stations in Wellingara and Bundung.
This reporter went round, and spotted the photo of Justice Emmanuel Nkea, a former judge at the high court in Banjul, pasted at the various police stations.
This reporter, who covers the high court in Banjul including the SCC for The Point newspaper, later went to the office of the Judicial Secretary, John Belford, to ascertain whether Justice Nkea is indeed “Wanted” by the Gambian authorities.
Informed that photos of the former SCC judge are pasted at various police stations, and asked if he is aware that Justice Nkea is a “wanted” man in The Gambia, Mr Belford exclaimed: “You are just telling me news, this is news to me; I am not aware of that!”
Justice Nkea is a Cameroonian national, and since the ex-SCC judge is out of the jurisdiction, we wanted to know from the police whether Interpol was alerted.
Police PRO and spokesperson ASP David Kujabi, was contacted on the phone; and he was going to get back to us, but did not do so to shed light on this development, until this newspaper went to bed.
It would be recalled that Justice Emmanuel Nkea, as judge at the Special Criminal Court of the high court in Banjul, dealt with many high-profile cases, and he convicted and sentenced the accused persons to various terms of imprisonment, including the death sentence.
Among the convicts, all serving time at the state central prison Mile 2, are the former armed forces chief of staff, Lt.Col. Lang Tombong Tamba and co., former Inspector General of Police, Ensa Badjie and co, the former director-general of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, Bun Sanneh, the former Secretary General, head of the civil service and minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Njogu Bah, the former Attorney General and minister of Justice, Lamin Jobarteh, ex Solicitor General and Legal Secretary Pa Harry Jammeh, the former Chief Justice of The Gambia Justice Joseph Wowo, the former treasurer of the UDP Amadou Sanneh, and the former Information minister Amadou Scattered Janneh – who was later released and left the country to live in America.
It would be further recalled that The Point newspaper on Monday 10 February 2014 carried a story with this headline: ‘SCC judge Emmanuel Nkea resigns’
“The Point has learnt through reliable sources that Justice Emmanuel Nkea of the Special Criminal Court of the High Court in Banjul has resigned.
“Though no official information or reason(s) has been given as to his resignation, informed sources said the Cameroonian judge resigned on Tuesday, and has since last week left the country.
“Nkea, it would be recalled, presided over high-profile cases both past and present, among them the case of former Inspector General of Police Ensa Badjie, former Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service Dr Njogu Bah, United Democratic Party Treasurer Amadou Sanneh, former Attorney General and minister of Justice Lamin Jobarteh and former Solicitor General and Head of the Civil Service Pa Harry Jammeh.
“Prior to his resignation, Nkea was presiding over the trials of former Daily Observer deputy editor-in-chief Alagie Jobe, former coordinator of the West African Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAPP) Sheikh Tijan Sosseh and former director of Intelligence and Investigation at the National Drug Enforcement Agency, Foday Barry, among others”.
Source: Thepoint