34 year-old Lamin Krubally died in the custody of the Nema Kunku police on Wednesday, 12 July 2017, around 6pm, according to information reaching this medium.
By Mustapha Jallow
According to the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Rohey Jarju, she found the lifeless body of her husband in the cell of the Nema Kunku Police Station, when she returned to ask what food he would like her to prepare for him.
Rohey told Foroyaa that the whole issue started when Lamin was injured in a fight with one Lama Jallow, a co-resident who was also injured; that both of them were taken to a medical centre for treatment.
According to Rohey, she went home to prepare something for her husband to eat and on her return to the station, she found her husband alone in the police cell, lying flat on his belly. She said she called him several times but he did not answer.
"I called him repeatedly but there was no answer. I then called the attention of the police, one of whom entered the cell and lifted Lamin to sit upright against the wall but no body part was moving. After a while she was allowed to enter the cell to lift her husband, but no part of his body was moving. “I also tried to open his jaws but they were locked," she explained. The mother of two said she concluded there and then that her husband, Lamin, was dead. She said she went home to announce the death of his husband and this made the landlord to accompany her to the police station; that upon arrival, her husband’s body was taken to Faji-Kunda Health Centre.
"After waiting for a while at the health centre, the police asked me to go home till the following day which I eventually did. But when I went back to the police station early Thursday morning, after waiting for long while, I was again asked to go back home and will be called when they are ready. But this did not happen," she cried.
Lamin’s brother, Ebrima, also narrated to this medium that he learnt of his brother’s death from his sister, on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning, he was at the office of the Station officer, where he was directed to the police headquarters.
"A process started at the serious crime office, which involved a magistrate and a doctor at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital. I was asked to report at the hospital together with someone, when the examination of the body of Lamin Krubally might take place," he said.
Foroyaa will continue to monitor developments and inform its readers accordingly. Needless to say, according to law, when a person dies in police custody, a Coroner should be appointed who shall enquire into the cause of death. It is only the Coroner who should order for a post mortem to be done by a competent medical practitioner or any person qualified to conduct such investigation in order to determine the cause of death.
However, at time of going to press the Police Police Relations Officer, Inspector Foday Conta, was contacted to shed light on the death of Mr. Krubally, as to whether he had been beaten to death by Police officers or if Rohey’s husband died of a natural death. PRO Conta promised to contact the Regional Commissioner and would get back to this medium.