Gambia: Police short of fuel to effect the arrest of Essau Armed Robbers; Watchman Injured By Attackers

Residents of Essau, in the Lower Nuimi District, were awoken by sounds of heavy gunfire last night, when armed robbers broke into a local pharmacy in the village; gunned point the local watchman; beating him into a state of coma after fleeing with an unspecified amount of cash and other valuables, the Freedom Newspaper can reveal. The robbers terrorized the village for hours before police could arrive at the scene of the robbery. The watchman sustained injury on his head, hand, and other parts of his body.


It took some time before the Barra police could arrive at the scene of the attack, as police said they do not have petrol (gas) to fuel their vehicle. By the time police arrived at the robbery scene, the attackers had already fled the village. This is the second-time that armed robbery has been reported in the Nuimi area. It first occurred in Fass-Njaga Choi, residents said. A private residence was attacked by the robbers.

Foday Sonko, a worker at the said robbed pharmacy has expressed shock about the robbery. Mr. Sonko works at the pharmacy on morning shift. He said six armed men attacked the pharmacy and assaulted the local watchman.
 
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“Six armed men robbed the pharmacy. The watchman was badly beaten. The old man was brutally beaten by the robbers. His son even had to take shelter at a restroom (toilet) to avoid being harmed by the armed robbers. We do not know where these robbers are from,” Sonko said in a whats-app message displayed on chat groups.

“We are appealing to the authorities to please help us with tight security. This is the second time that an incident of such nature has occurred in the District. The people we relied on for security—the police told us that they don’t have fuel to visit the scene of the crime. This is a disaster! Had been that the ECOMIG forces were not deployed in this area, something worse than this could have happened. This is sad. The violence should stop. No one knows what these robberies would lead to,” Sonko said.

“Mamadingding husband’s pharmacy was attacked last night. There was gunfire last night in Essau. The watchman was severely injured by the attackers. Right, now we have been denied access to the house. Police have taken over the scene of the crime. The ECOMIG forces were the first to arrive at the scene of the robbery. The police said they don’t have fuel to visit the scene of the crime. There is tight security in the village,” said a lady, who was speaking in a UDP chat group forum.
The robbers were armed to the teeth. They are currently at large. They crossed the border to neighboring northern Senegal.

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“ A soldier told me that the robbers attacked Fass not long ago. They suspect that some of the robbers might be Senegalese subjects because the empty bullets he saw were not from the Gambia. None of the robbers have been apprehended yet. They are at large,” said a source who contacted us hours after the robbery had taken place.
The police spokesman could not be reached for comment.