Breaking News: Jammeh threatens to Shutdown Banjul Airport ahead of January 19th Inauguration

After Yahya Jammeh’s disrespectful and arrogant New Year’s message to the Gambian people, unconfirmed, but reliable sources have informed our Banjul based correspondent that, the Government of The Gambia intends to shut down Gambia’s only Airport on January 10th a week before the scheduled January 19th inauguration of President-elect Adama Barrow. The source who claims to be privy to a highly sensitive meeting convened at the Presidential Palace in Banjul earlier on Sunday with Jammeh’s closest allies, revealed that Yahya Jammeh gave the directive that no flights are allowed to land or take off from Banjul International Airport effective the 10th of January 2017.

It is also alleged that during the meeting, Jammeh made it clear that ,whereas if he had lost the election free and square, the Gambian constitution mandates him to be President of the country for sixty days. He made it a point of emphasis that he was still in charge of the country and the election results are before the Supreme Court so there was no way an inauguration will take place before a decision was made. Our source also said, Jammeh reminded all those at the meeting that without him they would not have been anything and therefore, their future and survival depended on him holding on to the Presidency. The alleged Airport closure is to prevent 15 member ECOWAS Leaders who has all pledged to grace the inauguration from flying into Banjul to attend the inauguration ceremony. It is however important to note that Gambia pretty much as little to no airspace as Senegal owns the larger airspace in over Banjul. Closing the airport at this time of the Tourism season will be consequential to the economy. But Jammeh at this point doesn’t seems to care about Gambia and it’s economy otherwise he would have been easily handover power to prevent any negative impact on the economy.

In a related matter, we have also been reliably informed that the soldier who visited President-Elect Adama Barrow and posed for pictures with him have been arrested and detained at the notorious Mile Two Prisons. While we cannot confirm this story, it is important not to take it lightly since Jammeh and his group of thugs have used this method of disappearance and intimidation for the past twenty two years. Our source on this was quick to remind us that, “nothing can be put past Yahya Jammeh, He is a bandit.”

Contrary to Jammeh’s belief that Gambians loved him, our reporter also informed this paper during the New Years festivities revelers were heard loud and clear singing, ” Jammeh Gippo.” He furthered that Gambians are no more afraid and came out to exercise their Freedom of Speech. What world Jammeh lives on in self imposed Prison at the State House is anyone’s imagination, but Gambians are through with him as was on display again at a musical jamboree at the Stadium in Bakau where the consensual chant was, “JAMMEH JEE, IBAE JEE LA.”

Gainako is monitoring and following up on both stories and following our findings and verification, we will publish a comprehensive and detailed report on the alleged airport closure. For now, we are not putting anything past Jammeh as our source said, for he is a rogue, gangster and Bandit capable of anything and everything. Jammeh is facing a threat of forceful removal from power by the powerful West African regional body ECOWAS. Senegal, Gambia’s next door neighborhood has been entrusted to lead a force to ensure that the President-elect is sworn in come January 19th as dictated by the Gambian Constitution.