By: Mafugi Ceesay
The Brusubi Police station has levelled criminal trespass charges against one Kebba Sheriff Cham, who is claiming ownership of the Brusubi community cemetery.
Cham who hails from Sukuta is said to have unlawfully bulldozed the Brusubi community cemetery fence, saying he is the rightful owner of the land currently serving as a burial space for the community of Brusubi.
Mr Cham said he is in possession of the the lands documents and has been paying his taxes from 1990 to date.
The land claimant told the Alkamba Times that he has been battling with authorities to develop this land, but to no avail.
“I’m being delayed by some residents who filed complaints to police claiming that I was encroaching into their cemetery”
However, Mr Cham denied these allegations, stressing that the said land belongs to him and that the government never compensated or notified him about taking over the land.
The Criminal Investigation Department of the Brusubi Police Station say the land was given to the community by the Social Security and Housing Cooperation and the Ministry of Lands.
Fabuka Njai, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Social Security and Housing Co-operation confirmed that the cemetery belongs to the community not to an individual.
He said they are in consultations with residents of Brusubi to develop a joint communique showing the land’s reservation as a cemetery belonging to the Brusubi area.
Meanwhile, the state housing agency is unable to show evidence as to how it acquire the said cemetery for public use since Brusubi lands were taken from private citizens who recieved compensation
The Alkamba Times will continue the investigation
