By Foday Manneh
Kabirou Sonko, a Spain-based Gambian, has recently been under the spotlight after several individuals accused him of obtaining millions of dalasis from fellow Gambians by false pretense while abroad.
Kabirou, according to sources we spoke with, reportedly obtained a sum of D1.6 million under the pretext of helping clients purchase vehicles.
“I gave him £12,000 to buy a truck for me and later realized that he is a scammer and has been doing this to people,” Modou Manneh, a victim, told TAT.
“He will send one Abdoulie Sonko alias “Kemeseng” to pick the money from the people he scammed.”
Another complainant is Bubacarr Manneh, who shared a similar story about his experience with Kabirou, who said he paid over half a million dalasis to the alleged scammer, severely affecting his business.
“We have a family relationship. We all grew up together during our childhood days. He later traveled and called me one day, saying he was sending me containers. He told me if I need a vehicle, I can just let him help,” Bubacarr recalled.
“So one day, I told him I needed a truck, and I sent him about £6000 for the purchase, and he sent me a picture of the truck he was facilitating. It went on for three months, and I stopped hearing from him. Overall I paid £8500 when he told me the truck was ready for shipping,”
“He stopped picking up my calls. I am a businessman, and if half a million is taken from me just like this, much more in the Gambia, that has affected me. I am paying my children’s school fees, who are attending private schools. This is difficult for me,” he added.
Catherine Pandopy, another victim of the alleged fraudster, said she spent about D300,000 to Kabirou through a colleague to help with a private car but was disappointed after learning he was a scammer.
“It was one of my colleagues that I used to engage whenever I needed a car. He helped to get the car I’m currently using. It is nine years old, so I contacted him to help me with a new one. He told me about Kabirou. We agreed and sent him the money but later learned he was a scam,” she narrated.
It appears that Kabirou’s victims are primarily people he is connected with, either through family ties or friendships from childhood days.
“I have known him since our school days. He used to come to my home and stay with my Mum and me. Our family trusted him like a brother to us, but he was disappointing. I never knew him to be like that. My whole family is shocked,” Modou said.
All efforts by this medium to contact Kabirou for comments proved unsuccessful.
