By Louise Jobe
Representatives of 19 families in Farato, Kombo South, have called on the Government of The Gambia to intervene in a long-running land dispute, warning that tensions in the community are escalating.
Speaking at a press conference in Farato on 25 June 2026, the family representatives appealed to the government, the Ministry of Justice and the security services to enforce court judgments they said were delivered in their favour.
The representatives also alleged that law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and local authorities had failed to enforce the judgments and accused some officials of applying double standards in handling the matter.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Alieu Bah said the dispute dates back to 2006, when the late Alkalo of Bafuloto, Manku Saidy, claimed ownership of farmland belonging to the families.
According to Bah, the High Court ruled in favour of the Farato families in 2012 and ordered Saidy to pay D300,000. He said the Supreme Court later upheld the decision and ordered a further payment of D90,000, following an earlier ruling by the District Tribunal in favour of the families.
Bah said the families subsequently obtained a writ of possession and that the Sheriff Division, together with the Department of Physical Planning, issued demolition notices. However, he alleged that attempts to enforce the court orders were resisted by a group he described as vigilantes led by Alagie Jobe of Bafuloto Nemasu.
“In 2017, during a demolition exercise, Jobe’s group, armed with cutlasses, knives and other weapons, attacked the team,” Bah alleged. “They wounded some officers, burned a grader, a Mercedes-Benz and other properties.”
Bah further alleged that complaints lodged at Farato, Busumbala and Banjulinding police stations had not resulted in prosecutions and claimed that Alagie Jobe and others were repeatedly released without charge. He also alleged that senior police officers had intervened in the matter on several occasions.
Another representative, Abdoulie Fanneh, said the families’ dispute was with the late Manku Saidy’s claim to the land and not with Alagie Jobe personally.
“Even after Manku Saidy’s death, Jobe continues to encroach on our land and has sold over 100 plots,” Fanneh alleged.
Fanneh also claimed that the families had paid D135,000, D80,000 and D20,000 for police escorts to enforce demolition orders but that the operations were not carried out.
He appealed to the government to resolve the dispute, warning that tensions within the community were rising.
“We have avoided confrontation, but without intervention, a bloodbath is inevitable,” Fanneh said.
Other speakers, including Omar Bah, Ansumana Sonko and Alagie Bah, also appealed for government intervention.
They said the Office of the Governor of the West Coast Region had convened two mediation meetings to resolve the dispute, but both ended without agreement. According to the representatives, the families proposed that people who had already developed plots should remain while they reclaimed undeveloped land. They alleged that the proposal was rejected by Alagie Jobe’s group. The families urged the government to enforce the court judgments and take steps to restore order in the area.
The allegations made during the press conference have not been independently verified by Foroyaa, and Alagie Jobe, the Gambia Police Force and the other parties mentioned were not immediately available for comment.
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