By Seedy Jobe
Ebrima Jallow, president of the National Livestock Owners Association (NaLOA), says cattle rustling has resurged in The Gambia over the past two to three years, reversing gains made after years of efforts to curb the crime.
Speaking in an interview with GRTS on Thursday, Mr. Jallow described cattle rustling as a longstanding problem affecting livestock farmers in The Gambia and other countries where cattle are reared.
“We have been seeing cattle rustling coming back in the past two or three years,” he said.
Mr. Jallow said rustlers often raid compounds and cattle herds at night, stealing animals that are either moved to other parts of the country or taken across the border.
He recalled that the problem became particularly severe in the mid-2000s, with some livestock owners reportedly killed in incidents in communities including Gungur and Busuranding. In response, farmers established an anti-cattle-rustling group between 2004 and 2008 to protect livestock and assist law enforcement.
According to Mr. Jallow, the group worked closely with the Interior Ministry and the Gambia Police Force, although its members initially faced significant challenges, including limited cooperation from some communities and what he described as interference from influential individuals.
He said some members of the anti-rustling group were themselves arrested and taken to Mile 2 Central Prison before the late Ensa Badjie, then inspector general of police, intervened and ordered further investigation.
“At one point, our people were arrested—we, the farmers—and some of them were taken to Mile 2,” Mr. Jallow said.
He credited Mr. Badjie with helping resolve the matter after questioning why farmers who said they were fighting cattle theft had been detained while suspected rustlers remained free.
“He did a very good job, and then an investigation was done,” Mr. Jallow said. “Our people were released.”
Mr. Jallow said his involvement in the campaign was personal. He recalled watching his father sleep in cattle huts to protect his livestock from thieves, an experience that motivated him to join efforts to combat the crime.
Those efforts, he said, significantly reduced cattle theft. Twenty-seven people were eventually prosecuted and imprisoned, while others fled. He added that the association was later recognized with an ORG award for its work.
Mr. Jallow linked the resurgence of cattle rustling partly to the aftermath of the 2017 political impasse, when some people convicted of cattle theft were pardoned and released.
He said he warned then-Interior Minister Mai Fatty that releasing convicted rustlers risked allowing them to return to the crime. According to Mr. Jallow, his concerns were interpreted at the time as politically motivated, and he was perceived as being aligned with the opposition.
Mr. Jallow claimed that several of those released subsequently returned to cattle rustling and said many of the people involved came from neighboring Senegal.
NaLOA, he said, has since organized its work around four main areas: animal health and production, in collaboration with the Department of Livestock Services; animal commercialization and marketing, alongside the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency; animal security and protection, working with the police to combat cattle rustling; and environment and climate change, including the management of stock routes and livestock-related conflicts.
The association operates across all districts of the country and oversees 26 livestock markets, Mr. Jallow said.
He singled out the Upper River Region for what he described as particularly effective community involvement, saying vigilant groups operate in nearly every district and cooperate with communities across the border, including in Casamance, to trace stolen livestock.
As an example, Mr. Jallow cited the arrest of a man he described as a notorious cattle rustler in Wuli. He said the suspect was apprehended through cooperation between farmers and the police and is currently being held at Mile 2.
“You cannot leave everything in the hands of the police,” Mr. Jallow said, arguing that livestock owners also have a responsibility to protect their property, remain vigilant and promptly report suspected crimes.
Mr. Jallow identified the handling of cattle-rustling cases by the justice system as one of the biggest challenges facing livestock owners.
He complained that suspects arrested and brought before the courts are sometimes released quickly. He also said accused people can hire lawyers, leaving farmers with limited financial resources struggling to pursue their cases effectively.
Mr. Jallow contrasted The Gambia’s legal system with what he described as Senegal’s tougher approach to cattle theft. He claimed suspects in Senegal can face lengthy detention and a more stringent legal process, making The Gambia a more attractive target for cross-border rustlers.
According to Mr. Jallow, the perception that cattle thieves face fewer legal consequences in The Gambia has encouraged some Senegalese rustlers to cross the border to steal livestock.
He called for stronger cooperation among farmers, communities, security agencies and the justice system to prevent cattle rustling from regaining the foothold it had before earlier efforts brought the crime under greater control.
Comments are closed.