Africa-Press – Gambia. The Vehicle Controller at the Office of the President, Mr. Nfamara Saidybah, Monday appeared before the parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Sale and Disposal of Assets Identified by the Janneh Commission.
He said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) acted on instructions from the Secretary General and the then Minister of Finance when directing him to conduct an inventory of former President Yahya Jammeh’s vehicles.
Appearing before lawmakers, Mr. Saidybah explained that on Saturday, 25th February 2017, he was summoned to the Mobile Police Headquarters, where he met the IGP, senior police officers, State Intelligence Service (SIS) officials, and members of the State Guard. He said the IGP informed the assembled team that he had been tasked by Secretary General Dawda Fadera and then Finance Minister Amadou Sanneh to assign a multi-agency group to take stock of vehicles left behind at Jammeh’s properties.
The witness clarified that while he was directly under the Secretary General’s office, he received the order through the IGP, who became his immediate supervisor for the exercise. The instructions, he said, were verbal, requiring the team to physically verify, record chassis numbers, and photograph each vehicle.
On Monday, 27th February 2017, the team proceeded to Kanilai, Jammeh’s native village. According to Saidybah, they inventoried a total of 97 vehicles, including five Rolls Royces, Range Rovers, SUVs, pickups, military trucks, tractors, and heavy-duty machinery. Out of these, 59 were scrap, 16 unroadworthy, and only 22 in good condition.
The process, Saidybah added, was conducted in the presence of the Jammeh family and security personnel on the ground. He testified that Major Aluso, then overseeing Jammeh’s Kanilai residence, facilitated communication with the former president, who was in exile. Jammeh reportedly consented to the exercise after being briefed by phone.
The team later extended the inventory to other Jammeh properties, including Farato farm, Siffoe, and State House in Banjul. Saidybah stressed that the inclusion of SIS officers, state guards, and police photographers was intended “for transparency,” ensuring the process was not a one-agency operation.
The lead counsel of the committee Lamin Dibba pressed him on why the Secretary General did not directly issue instructions to him, but Saidybah maintained that “the reasons were best known to the IGP and SG,” insisting his role was only to execute orders.
Mr. Saidybah’s testimony sheds light on the chain of command and multi-agency involvement in cataloguing Jammeh’s vast fleet of vehicles, raising further questions about executive interference and accountability in the post-Jammeh asset recovery process.
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