The supposed Imam of Sukuta-Salagi, Muhammed Darboe, is said to have been beaten at a proposed site identified by the department of physical planning for the construction of the community market as tension deepens between the community and authorities.
The latest incident unfolded on late Sunday evening at Sukuta-Salagi, leading to the arrest of three people believed to be members of the Bojang and Jatta families of Sukuta. They have been in land wrangling with officials of the physical planning and lands department since 2008.
Speaking to The Alkamba Times at the site of the incident, Lamin Darboe, Secretary General of the Neighborhood Development Association of Salagi (NDAS), confirmed that Imam Muhammed Darboe was attacked during the community work organized by his association.
According to him, upon arriving at the site while waiting for other community members to join him, a group of people of Sukuta descend on the Imam started assaulting him.
The Brusubi Police arrested Lamin Jatta, Gibril Bojang, and Abdoulie Trawally in the assault case.
“I can confirmed that the perpetrators have been arrested and taken to the Brusubi Police Station. Imam has also been taken to the clinic but discharged,” NDAS, SG told Alkamba Times.
He said: “Imam’s only crime was to come to the market site where we planned to begin constructing our community market. But, unfortunately, he was attacked by some people from Sukuta whose only intention is to distract the community from building its market reserved by the government and allocated to the community of Salagi for a market.”
However, TAT spoke to Ousman Bojang, representative of Sukuta Alkalo in Salagi, who also confirmed the beating of Imam Muhammed Darboe and the arrest of the suspects in Lamin Jatta, Gibril Bojang, and Abdoulie Trawally.
TAT Understand from police sources that trio arrested have been released on bail and asked to report to Brusubi Police Station on Monday, 4th July 2022.
This development comes on the heels of last week’s demolition of one community market said to have been illegal given to the women of Sukuta-Salagi by the Sukutarians. They are the traditional custodians of the land. Still, the physical planning department says the families have no right to allocate any given land at Salagi leading to a massive demolition of over four million dalasis (D4million).
