Gambia’s Police Chief Resigns

By Abdoulie John

Kairo News has confirmed that The Gambia’s Inspector General of Police has tendered his resignation. Landing Kinteh’s resignation followed a clash between protesting Faraba Banta youths and Police Intervention Unit personnel resulting to the killings of two civilians. The youths protested against sand mining in their village.

Police in Banjul have confirmed to this reporter that IGP Kinteh has resigned today from the country’s law enforcement body and that his deputy Mamour Jobe is overseeing the post.

In the aftermath of the shootings that claimed the lives of two activists, the IGP Office issued a news dispatch indicating the police boss did not authorise the use of lethal force against protesters.

The sad event — the first major challenge for the Coalition government — has since prompted waves of condemnations across the globe, with human rights groups calling on government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings. President Adama Barrow on Wednesday commissioned an official inquiry into Faraba Banta incident.

Commissioner Kinteh, who was appointed IGP on June 22 last year, replaced Yankuba Sonko. Kinteh is a trained lawyer who holds bachelor’s degree from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria, and a master’s degree in human rights and criminal law from the University of Essex, United Kingdom. He served as the Commissioner of Prosecutions at the Gambian Police Force from 2007 to 2017. He served on secondment as Director of the National Anti-Trafficking in Person branch of the Justice Ministry of Justice. Commissioner Kinteh also worked forfthe United Nations in  Sudan’s Darfur region.

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