Police investigate over D1M owed to farmers in NBR

At least twenty-one groundnut farmers from Toro Alasan in the North Bank, frustrated over unpaid monies owed by their local Secco from groundnut sales have reported the matter to the police , hoping to get a solution .

The farmers claimed the Kerr Alagie –Karu Secco owed them exactly D1,021,198.

Amadou Bah a native of Toro and one of the unpaid farmers, told The Standard his outstanding balance amounted to D275,800, money he has been waiting for  since Secco president  Jim Gaye promised to pay them when government disburses the funds many months ago. He said 20 other members of the same Secco reported similar cases and after waiting for months they reported the matter to the police in Kuntaya who transferred the case to Essau.

“The police in Essau initially detained the Secco president before releasing him on bail and the case transferred to police headquarters in Banjul,” Bah explained.

He said he personally confronted the Secco president who on several occasions claimed he has not received the money from the government.

 Bah said the non-payment of his groundnut money has severely affected his family’s income  and is already ruining his plans to get fertiliser for the soon to come new season.

Another farmer Musa Ceesay said the Secco owed him D13,661. 

He said the confusing part is that government has  made a public announcement that no farmer is owed a butut. ”So we confronted the Secco president Jim Gaye who kept saying he has not  got money from government to pay us,” Ceesay said. He said referring the case  to the police did not solve the matter either

 “The police only arrested him briefly and released him, and over two months now nothing came out of the case. This is very discouraging for us as farmers,”, Ceesay said.

Egan Bah, another farmer, confirmed he is owed D18,124. He called on the authorities to ensure payment of their dues.

Other farmers affected include Omar Ceesay- D94,278, Mbaye Chune -D99,028, Adam Sallah -D34,276, Alassan Leigh- D20,529, Alassan Bah- D70,271, Alagie Bah- D38,000, Mambi Dumbuya -D40,926, Danjan Chune -D19,304, Babu Ceesay- D50,500, Ebrima Bah- D8,512, Samba Bah- D81,400, Ebrima Chune- D9,291 and Ebrima Bah- D28,614.

According to the list seen by The Standard the 21 farmers are owed a total of D1,021,198.

Police deputy spokesperson ASP Mariama Fatty confirmed the matter saying the case is still under investigation. She said the prime suspect Jim Gaye (Secco manager) and another suspect, were arrested and released on police bail. “Investigations are still ongoing. We are at verification stages in terms of payments and financial transactions that were made relating to the case,” ASP Fatty explained.

Asked about the delay in the investigations, she said the prime suspect Jim was not medically okay.  “However we are still verifying the documents and payments that were made through Wave and other means,” she added.