The Public Relations officer (PRO) of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Ousman Saidy Bah told this reporter that the damaged doors of residents at a home in New Jeshwang will be fixed.
“We will invite the complainants to our office so that we can do a professional investigation on the matter and that their broken doors will be fixed as well,” PRO said.
The DLEA PRO was earlier contacted to shed light on this story and which he promised to make enquiries and get back to the reporter as he was not aware of the incident.
The PRO said when they entered the premises they identified themselves as Narcotic Officers and told them that they wanted to conduct a search.
Some doors, he said, were opened whilst three doors were closed, and upon enquiring for the keys to these rooms, they claimed not to have them. he further said that they then had to break the doors to these rooms in order to conduct a search in the presence of three occupants found in the premises.
‘We wish to inform members of the public that Sections 70 of the Drug Control Act (DCA) 2003 Revised Laws of the Gambia empowers Narcotic Officers to enter and search any suspected premise without a search warrant,’’ DELA PRO urged.
‘‘We wish to take this opportunity to assure the public of maximum professionalism in the conduct of our operation. We shall look into the matter and ensure that the rule of law and respect for human rights is maintained,’’ he said.
In the same vein, the PRO called on members of the public to be very vigilant and help make the society free from drugs and related activities.
However, it could be recall that on 15 February 2017, residents of a home at New Jeshwang have deplored the manner in which officers of the DLEA conducted a search of their home for suspected cannabis.
Mr. Sanyang, a resident of the area told Foroyaa that the doors of 7 rooms were forced open while their occupants were away. “The floors of our bathroom were dug into. This is heartbreaking, and that is why we want the general public to know about it and the new government to conduct an investigation on such inhuman treatment we received from the officers,’’ he lamented.