Sergeant Adama Jange
By Fatou Sillah
Sergeant Adama Jange, a soldier stationed at the Mechanical Services Agency (MSA) in Kotu, on Tuesday admitted before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh that he dismantled parked government vehicles to repair others.
His testimony was linked to a 2017 letter authored by Chief Superintendent Nfamara Saidybah, the government vehicle controller, accusing him and another soldier, Lamin Suso, of unauthorized tampering with vehicles at the Kotu Central Workshop. The letter alleged that the pair removed vehicles and engines from the premises without authorization and transported some to a private garage owned by Alieu Gaye, near Bundung Central Mosque.
Superintendent Saidybah further alleged that Sergeant Jange forcefully entered the MSA premises, dismantled vehicles, and removed some entirely.
While denying claims that he and his colleague forcefully took control of the workshop or removed any vehicles, Sergeant Jange admitted to “cannibalizing” parts from vehicles parked at the agency. He clarified that the vehicles were already grounded before the current administration came into office and that none were earmarked for auction.
“For cannibalization, I did it,” Jange admitted, explaining that he removed parts from unserviceable vehicles to repair others that were still in operation.
He told the committee that all vehicles and tractors left behind by the former president at MSA were roadworthy at the time and that Saidybah had briefed them on which vehicles were to be auctioned and which remained government property.
However, Counsel Dibba confronted the witness, citing Saidybah’s statement that cannibalization had already occurred before any briefing took place, and that Jange claimed to be acting under presidential authority.
“What Saidybah is saying is that the first day he met you, cannibalization had happened and you moved the vehicle and that he has never briefed you and you claim to be there on the behest of the president,” Counsel Dibba told the witness.
In his letter to the Janneh Commission, Superintendent Saidybah raised serious concerns about activities at the Kotu workshop. He noted that during a 2017 reassessment visit, a government team discovered that more than 200 vehicles were listed for auction, but several had been moved from their designated parking spots, and some engines were missing or transplanted into other vehicles.
The letter further alleged that Sergeant Jange and Lamin Suso had occupied the premises under the pretext of acting on behalf of President Adama Barrow, and that four tractors were unlawfully taken to a private garage in Bundung. It also claimed that the soldiers had seized control of the workshop from its former occupant, Siaka Jammeh, without any formal handover or transfer of records.
Saidybah’s report recommended that the workshop be managed by qualified professionals and that a comprehensive investigation be conducted into the unauthorized removal and handling of government vehicles and materials.
Sergeant Jange denied all allegations of vehicle theft or unlawful removal but maintained that he did dismantle certain vehicles to extract parts for repairs.
The committee is expected to continue hearing his testimony on Thursday.