By Swaibou Sey
One Almameh Gassama, a 24-year-old, has been injured on his right hand by a suspected thief.
The incident occurred last Sunday night in Bwiam in the West Coast Region, approximately 104 kilometres away from Banjul.
“When I woke up, I did not realize that someone was in the room and in a short while, he cut my hand and I saw blood oozing,” Almameh Gassama, the victim explained.
When asked whether he is familiar with the perpetrator, the victim responded in the positive but assured that he would not take the matter lightly.
“Yes I do [know him], but am afraid if the ‘Maslaha’ syndrome will not prevail,” he said.
Four other compounds complained of being visited by alleged thieves but no other persons were injured in the incidents.
The situation has put many families in fear in the settlement, especially women market vendors. One of the women expressed her frustration at the act.
“We are tired of this inhuman act. It has reached a point that we must say, the stealing and crime rate in Bwiam village is skyrocketing, living families devastated and worried,” said the woman on Monday.
Bwiam village in the Foni Kansal District that is known for its peace and stability, now experiences rising theft cases almost every night, according to the sources in the community.
Previous alleged theft cases have left many injured, while others lost cash and valuable materials such as Mobile phone, laptops to mention a few. Due to the situation, the question, which begs in the minds of many families, is that- who would be the next victim?
The matter is almost getting out of hand, as many members of the community expressed anger at the incident and vowed that there would be no mercy on anyone caught committing the act. As a result, they have sharpened their cutlasses and knives for ‘self-protection’ to avoid what happened to Almameh.
“We call on the state security to make a quick intervention in the community of Bwiam before calamity takes over,” one of them said.
Meanwhile, around 3pm on Monday [today] afternoon, a man fondly called ‘chemical’ was caught stealing in one of the compounds and then subsequently taken to the police station. The police found in his possession a knife and cell phone, which were later recognized as stolen. The man is currently in detention at Bwiam police station helping the police in their investigation, at the time of going to the press.
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