By Ebrima Papa Colley (Gambiano)

Confidants contacting forGambia News say police in The Gambia are hatching plans (in the guise of called-for-questioning) to arrest Madi Jobarteh tomorrow Wednesday, May 4^th 2022. While we can’t independently verify these reports, President Adama Barrow, in a public statement less than 48-hours ago made threats against the outspoken activist after his Kerr Fatou appearance.

Here is a redacted piece from Barrow’s fiery statements against Mr. Jobarteh on Monday, May 2^nd 2022:

“There are those that are tightening their belts to criticize the gov’t to bring instability in the country. One of such includes Madi Jobarteh. He’s among those who want to set the country ablaze. He said he’s part of a civil society, but a civil society that is only bent on setting the country ablaze. Wherever he goes to a platform, (he’s about) setting the country ablaze. All journalists are giving him a platform. He wants to set the country ablaze. Whoever helps him isn’t helping the country. My government has to stand up about his case.”

Sources allege Ebrima Sankareh and Ebrima Sillah have held discussions with Samsudeen Sarr about Madi Jobarteh to get Jobarteh in the government’s net. Samsudeen reportedly contacted Sankareh who reached out to Musa Drammeh.

The impulsive president, Adama Barrow couldn’t hide his maneuvers when he came in the open to disclose what his government is up to as far as Madi Jobarteh is concerned. A wiser leader wouldn’t have mentioned Jobarteh’s name, let alone what his gov’t would do about him.

A meeting, reports mentioned, was consequently attended by Sillah, Sankareh, Seedy Njie, Musa Drammeh, Saihou Mballow in this respect. Sarr has vehemently denied any such meeting or discussion with the said individuals about Madi Jobarteh post Kerr Fatou.

Jobarteh was responding to the D669 million cited in the auditor general’s report as unaccounted for in The Gambia gov’t spending. There was neither a treasonous, nor a call for violence in Jobarteh’s televised statements of people being in the streets.

On many occasions did forGambia News invite Madi Jobarteh for airtime interviews and he never made any statements to set Gambia on fire or encourage anything close to that. Further, he had written and published numerous articles on our medium without anything close to the President’s assertions.

However, low-IQ folks, as if been waiting, itching, and trapping Madi Jobarteh for the least utterance for a public riot, swiftly jelled with the Barrow administration for Madi’s doom. When did, “people should or could have been in the streets” become treasonous?

But a meeting was held at State House yesterday, May 2^nd 2022 about Madi Jobarteh, reports continued. His Kerr Fatou statement has prompted the Barrow government to immediately consult with the information ministry to consider fresh reforms and media licensing criteria as well as a move to close some ill-perceived media houses in The Gambia.

All WhatsApp and other political fora are now a subject of total surveillance, with Kerr Fatou and Pa Modou  Bojang’s popular radio Mengbekering key targets of the paranoid administration according to the same reports. We tried to reach out to the Barrow camp but without success.

However, we called Samsudeen Sarr and he denied being part of any post-Kerr Fatou discussion about Madi Jobarteh. Please listen to our full interview with Samsudeen Sarr on forGambia radio by clicking on the black play button at the right top corner of your desktop screen, or scroll down to find it on your cell phones.

We called Madi Jobarteh as well and this is what he has to say:

“I consider the president’s remarks as a major threat against my person. It constitutes a violation of his oath office to uphold and defend the constitution including protecting the fundamental rights of citizens.”

“Hence it is a direct attack on my freedom of opinion and expression which can only mean an attempt to silence not just me alone but also all citizens from holding his government accountable.”

“By his comments he is forcing journalists to subject themselves to self-censorship while making civil society to step back from their watchdog role. Above all I consider the president’s remarks as an incitement to violence that has marked me as a target from any quarter. Therefore, I take it The Gambian State is threatening my life.”

In another development, Barrow is expected to announce his new cabinet tomorrow or early Friday morning. Some Gambian youths are expected to be part of the new cabinet where Vice President, Isatou Touray, Momodou Tangara, Nuha Touray, Fatou Kinteh, Badara Joof, Yanuba Sonko, Lamin Dibba, Cecilia Cole and Mamburay Njie, and Sheikh Omar Faye are expected to be rattled.

As usual, we won’t be surprised if Barrow changes his mind simply because forGambia News, again, reported the move. We have been saving many people’s jobs in this cabinet since 2019. We even saved Dou Sanno’s job months ago. All we have to is to report the president’s plans insiders provide us.

At some point, this frustrated Barrow’s spokesperson, Ebrima Sankareh to the extent that he made a catharsis of it where he decried frequent leakings of gov’t secrets even before they finish writing releases.