Witness says Jammeh had over 40 Ataya girls

Former President Yahya Jammeh's waiter Ebou Jarju, yesterday testified before the TRRC on his arrest, unlawful detention and Jammeh's wrong doing, while revealed that he (Jammeh) had over 40 'Ataya' girls.

Witness clarified that is only ladies who do the brewing and they used to be with Jammeh inside the house for a long duration for pleàsure during night.

He saiď among those Ataya girls, they where from the NIA, PIU, Immigration and soldiers. He added they were more 40 girls.

The Kombo Dasilamin born said he was trained as waiter and been employed at state house in 2001, to work at Jammeh's resident.

He said he was always accompanied with an orderly during the time of executing his job. He added that the procedure was to make sure that the President's food was safe.

He revealed that Jammeh doesn't receive water from Gambian and he only drinks French mineral waters. He said what Jammeh says outside and what he does at state house is different; adding he is only good outside and inside he used to insult.

Witness testified that Jammeh used to beat his orderlies by 'Karawas' or used mosquitoes spray to spray them whenever he meet them sleeping.

On the killing of people by Jammeh's Convoy, witness explained that there was a time he had a female protocol Kodou who said Jammeh should be advised to stop the throwing of biscuits because it was killing many people but she was later transferred.

"A child was hit by the convoy around Karewan Senegambia who died, and many others and i never saw Jammeh stopped his convoy and saw sympathy. One day the convoy knocked a man called Nyassi to death around BB hotel. Nyassi was in a motor bike and live at Sintet village."

He told the commission that another Kandeh and Willy Bakoteh were also hit to death by the convoy. He said he have never seen Jammeh compensated the victims.

"2001-2008, Jammeh's convoy killed about 20 individuals."

Narrating his problem with Jammeh, he said he once went with Jammeh in a OIC meeting in Dakar, where he (Jammeh) asked him whether he knew Sheikh Tijan Hydara; adding he told him yes as a former minister of Justice.

"Jammeh called his orderly Yusupha Sanneh to take my phones. My phone was kept for two weeks and one day Sering Modou Njie told me to go to his orderly and collect my phones but i told him I was not having interest in it."

He testified that one Wednesday, he went for work, and served him breakfast, lunch and dinner, saying Jammeh told the orderly Ba Jerreh to tell the idiot to go home and he was referring to me.

He said the incident was March 2008 and he went home, saying after some minutes to 12, Ba Jerreh called and said Jammeh ordered his removal from the quaters he was living before the following day.

He added at his home, Sambou Barrow from bravo company state guard picked him and said he should report to the police headquarters. He said he was taken to major crime, where he met Lamin Ceesay, kunchi Jammeh and Lamin Jammeh.

"I was told that I poison the president's food. I laugh and told them to go to state house and conduct their investigation if they want to know my work there. They asked what was in my bag, then  i was having  gresscilent oil and mosquito repalend. They went to NDMA and Sheikh Anta Jobe in Senegal to check but it was test none poison. All that while, I was locked in Banjul cell for 9 months, two weeks and I found someone who was there for two years."

He said he was re-arrested within two weeks after his released. He said he was there for five days and alleged him of having spiritual water in his bag.

"I was taken to mile 2, in a office where my names were taken. They took me to security wing called confinement. I was never charge of any offensives or taken to court. I was detained at Mile 2 for three years five months."

Witness said when he was locked at Mile 2, no one knew his whereabouts0

He further continued that he was with Jammeh at Mauritania during the 2006 coup, and the leader of the junglers Tombul Tamba told him that they have finished all of them, meaning they had killed coupies. To my surprise, he said, he had at Radio Gambia that Daba Marena escape.

On the issue of the black black, he said those people take their directives from Jammeh, revealing that they killed Haruna Jammeh ànd Marci Jammeh. He told the commission that according to Lamin MI Jatta, an intelligence attached to Kanilai, one Cessay was killed by Jammeh's hit squad.

He told the commission that Jammeh use to put concortion on foods that he used to give out to people, saying he may did the same to the waters because he only drinks foreign waters.