By: Alieu Jallow
Customary land owners in Sukuta Salagi have issued a detailed response to comments made by the Minister of Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, Hamat NK Bah, during the question and answer session at the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 26th 2025.
The exchange began when Ms. Fatou Cham, the National Assembly Member for Sannehmentereng Constituency, asked Minister Bah about compensation for residents affected by the long running Sukuta Salagi land dispute. In his reply, Minister Bah insisted that the government owes no compensation, arguing that the lands in “Salagi proper and the extension layout” were government approved layouts reserved for public and community facilities.
“Madam Speaker, I will not contemplate compensating them even one dime. They did not own the land where they built these structures, and they did not obtain these developments through due process,” the minister said.
Customary land owners say the minister’s remarks ignore decades of documented attempts to protect land inherited from their ancestors. According to them, their connection to the land dates back generations, long before rapid settlement expansion in the Kombo area.
They recount that in 1997, as farming declined, the family shared the land among themselves. Problems began when workers appeared on portions of their land, claiming they were sent by one Gibbi Jallow of Gamgas. When confronted, Jallow reportedly stated that the late Chief of Kombo North, Eric Tunde Janneh, allocated the land to him.
The family challenged the allocation, insisting the land belonged to the Bojang Kunda and not Cham Kunda as claimed. The late Alikalo of Sukuta, Alhagie Amadou Hawa Cham, and his brother reportedly confirmed the land belonged to the Bojang family.
Between 1997 and 2014, the family reported the matter to several offices, including the Commissioner of Western Division, the Office of the President and successive Ministers of Lands. They say they met with former Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy, who instructed the then Director of Physical Planning, Kebba Ceesay, to resolve the matter.
Women leaders of the APRC and other groups later appealed to the Vice President to retain their allocations in the disputed land, further complicating the case.
The Mahoney Commission, established in 2010 by former President Yahya Jammeh to address land disputes, visited the site. Customary owners say the commission confirmed that several areas they occupied were not part of the government layout, yet no compensation or resolution followed.
Allegations of Large Scale Land Acquisition by Officials
As the years passed, the family says they observed senior government officials, their relatives and associates developing plots on the disputed land. In 2019, an investigative panel was set up by the Ministry of Interior, involving police and Ministry of Lands personnel. The customary owners claim they were later denied access to the panel’s report but eventually obtained a copy through unofficial channels in 2024.
They allege that numerous high profile officials benefited from land allocations in Salagi, including directors, permanent secretaries, ministers, police commissioners and family members of government employees.
The dispute escalated further in 2020 when a demolition team, accompanied by paramilitary officers, reportedly tore down structures belonging to the Bojang family, including a borehole and a carpentry workshop valued at more than D500,000.
Attempts by the community to build a local market for women were also halted after officers claimed the area was designated for a future police station.
After Minister Bah’s remarks at Parliament, customary land owners say they feel compelled to put several questions to the minister and to clarify what they describe as a “one sided presentation of facts.” Their questions include:
How did the government legally obtain ownership of the Sukuta Salagi layout?
Can the ministry provide evidence of any engagement or agreement with the customary land owners, as required by the Constitution?
If compensation was paid, to whom was it paid and what was the amount? The customary land owners request the official proof of payment.
They further urge Minister Bah to follow the advice of the National Assembly Member for London Corner and request a copy of the 2019 investigative panel report.
“We Leave the Judgment to the Public”
The customary land owners say their account is meant to “enlighten” the minister, arguing that he only presented the government’s side in Parliament.
“We now leave the rest for you to judge,” the statement ends.
By: Alieu Jallow Customary land owners in Sukuta Salagi have issued a detailed response to comments made by the Minister of Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, Hamat NK Bah, during the question and answer session at the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 26th 2025. The exchange began when Ms. Fatou Cham, the National Assembly The Fatu Network
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