By Adama Makasuba
Amadou Sanneh, national treasurer for the United Democratic Party (UDP) has recalled their party members being ambushed at Denton Bridge in 1996. Testifying before the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) on Tuesday, Sanneh said their campaign convoy was ambushed by elements of the Gambia Army whom were led by Yankuba Touray.
“Our vehicles were stopped at Denton Bridge by soldiers and we were asked to sit on the ground. They undressed us and started beating us with batons and pipes and stamping on us,” he said. He added: “some were saying put them onto the truck and let them drown in the sea while some were saying let the driver drove in the fire and the vehicle will explode and all of them will die.”
He told the commission that UDP supporters were transferred to Banjul marina parade after sustaining injuries from the tortures meted on them by the soldiers at the bridge.
Meanwhile, he said they were later taken to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters in Banjul where they were stripped off their clothes and belongings on them and detained for 18 days period with no charge. He described the condition of the NIA as horrible. According to Sanneh even though some NIA agents were brutal towards them some were also kind towards them.
Throughout their 18 days detention at the NIA with injuries, Sanneh said they had received no medical treatment. However, he said they only received medical treatment after their release at the NIA at the Kololi clinic with the help of one medical Dr. Ceesay.
Amadou Sanneh was an accountant general under President Jawara’s regime and briefly worked under President Jammeh’s regime both accountant general and deputy permanent secretary at the ministry of trade. After resigning his position as deputy permanent secretary at the ministry of trade under the AFPRC government in the early 1996, he formed his accountancy business in Banjul.
In the post 2016 presidential election, he was selected by Gambian president Adama Barrow as his minister of finance and later deployed to the position of trade minster before his sacking in 2018.