Sukuta–Salagi Land Owners Accuse Government of Ignoring Their Claims

By: Isatou Sarr

Customary land owners of Sukuta–Salagi have issued a strongly worded response to the Minister of Local Government and Lands, saying the Minister misled the National Assembly when he addressed lawmakers on the ongoing land dispute.

The families insist that their voices and decades-old struggle over the land were never taken into account before the Minister delivered his remarks to Parliament.

Speaking on behalf of the “Kenebaring Kabilo”, Alhagie Momodou Morro Bojang said the land in question has been with their family “since the time of our great-grandparents” and was shared among family members in 1997 as farming activities declined in Kombo. According to him, the conflict began when two of his brothers found people developing a portion of the remaining family land. The workers reportedly said they were sent by one Gibbi Jallow of Gamgas, who claimed the late Chief of Kombo North, Eric Tunde Janneh, had allocated the land to him.

Bojang said the revelation shocked the family. When he confronted the late Chief, he was told the land belonged not to the Bojangs but to Cham Kunda. It was at a meeting called by the late Alikalo, Alhagie Amadou Hawa Cham, that his younger brother clarified that the land belonged to the Bojangs, not the Chams. Bojang said the Chief defended his action by claiming he had “authority from the former President Yahya Jammeh” to allocate the land to Jallow.

From that point, the Bojang family began years of petitions to various authorities, including the former Western Division Commissioner Lamin Jobarteh, the Office of the President in 2008, and later the Vice President’s office. Bojang recounted that the then Vice President instructed the Director of Physical Planning to resolve the matter within two weeks, but the process stalled after women political groups reportedly protested that they had already been allocated plots on the same land.

The family said that over the years they observed individuals “close to the state” developing plots on their land while they awaited formal resolution. When the Mahoney Commission was established in 2010, Bojang testified and accompanied the commission to the site. He said the commission confirmed that parts of the area were not affected by any government layout, but they were told that customary land owners could not be issued documents.

Attempts to engage subsequent Ministers of Lands, including Junkung Colley and Musa Drammeh, also ended without action, according to the family. A six-member investigative panel set up in late 2019 submitted its report to the Ministry of Lands, but the family says they were denied access to the findings until a leaked copy surfaced in 2024.

In their statement, the land owners claim the panel’s report exposed “misconduct” and listed the names of several government officials alleged to have acquired plots within the Salagi area. They further accused Physical Planning and Lands officers of participating in demolitions, including the destruction of a market the community was constructing for local women and a workshop belonging to Ousman Bojang.

The families say these actions deepened mistrust and reinforced their belief that their land was being taken under the guise of state allocation. They maintain that they were never compensated, consulted, or formally engaged as required by law for government acquisition of customary land.

The customary land owners now challenged the Minister to answer three questions: how the government came to own the Sukuta–Salagi layout; whether there is any documented engagement with the land owners; and who, if anyone, received compensation for the acquisition.

They have also urged the Minister to follow the advice of the National Assembly Member for London Corner, who called for a thorough investigation and a review of the 2019 panel report.

“The Minister only heard one side of the story,” the families said. “It is time he familiarizes himself with the facts before speaking to the National Assembly.”

Meanwhile, Hon. Minister of Lands, Hamat Bah in response to the questioning at the National Assembly, said that the Salagi Layout like other layouts were all allocated to eligible Gambians for residential purposes. “The Salagi Proper and Salagi Extension Layout were initiated by the government, through Ministry of Lands, Local Government and Religious Affairs in 2003 and 2007 respectively. They followed due process by first obtaining prior approval from the West Coast Region planning authority,” he disclosed. “As far as I am the minister, we will not compensate one dime, not even one meter of land to them.”

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 By: Isatou Sarr Customary land owners of Sukuta–Salagi have issued a strongly worded response to the Minister of Local Government…
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