By Louise Jobe
Residents of Niorro Jarrol Village in Foni Jarrol District have alleged that they were harassed by a group of people from Jarrol Village on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at their village ground.
According to information received, a group of people allegedly delegated by residents of Foni Jarrol Village went to Niorro Jarrol without informing the villagers of their visit.
“We were sitting down at our village bantaba, and we saw some people from Foni Jarrol Village come to our village and started to take photos of the village and harass our ladies and children,” a resident said.
Abdoulie Jobe, a resident of Niorro Jarrol, said he and Malick Sallah went to Kalagie Police Station to report the alleged actions of the people from Jarrol Village.
According to Mr Jobe, the group went to their village to take photographs of compounds and fences around farms where some residents cultivate crops. Jobe said that when he arrived at Kalagie Police Station, he met the Station Officer, Sanneh, and explained the reason for his visit and what had allegedly happened in their village. He said that after listening to him, S.O. Sanneh assigned a junior police officer to take his statement. However, Mr Jobe said the Station Officer declined to give him a reference number to their case from the police station diary, which he had requested. According to Jobe, S.O. Sanneh also told him that the matter had been transferred to the district chief.
“I told him no, I am not aware of it,” Mr Jobe said.
He said the Station Officer then advised them to go to the chief’s compound and report the matter to him. Mr Jobe said he and Sallah subsequently went to the chief’s compound, where they found people from Jarrol Village.
He said they greeted the chief, who asked them to wait outside until he finished his discussion with the other group. After the discussion, Mr Jobe said the chief invited them inside. He told the chief about what he described as the behaviour of the people who had visited Niorro Jarrol. According to Mr Jobe, the chief told him that the people from Jarrol Village had shown him photographs of groundnut fields allegedly cultivated by residents of Niorro Jarrol. Mr Jobe said he immediately denied the allegation and explained that no one from their village had cultivated groundnuts on the disputed farms, although some residents had cultivated orchards.
He said the chief then informed him that he had received a call from the magistrate indicating that the matter was to be dealt with at the district tribunal court.
The dispute also came before Magistrate A. Darboe of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court on August 3, 2026, in the case of Inspector General of Police v Alagie Jobe and nine others. The case before the Magistrates’ Court concerns an allegation that the accused persons failed to observe instructions issued by the Chief in relation to the disputed land. The underlying land dispute, however, has not yet been adjudicated by the Chief, and no final determination has been made on the main case for more than two years.
According to Mr Jobe, Magistrate Darboe advised the parties to maintain peace and keep away from the disputed land because an injunction had been issued by the Chief pending the determination of the main dispute. The magistrate warned that anyone who interfered with or breached the order would face the consequences.
The case was adjourned to 10 September 2026 for ruling.
