‘We Will Do Something You Will Never Forget Till You Die’: Barrow Warns Banjul NAM, Calls State House Protest ‘Treasonable Offense’

Written by: Dawda Baldeh

President Adama Barrow has issued a stern warning to Banjul North National Assembly Member (NAM) Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah, threatening him with unspecified consequences over his alleged involvement in a protest by children outside State House following a reported 48-hour electricity outage in Banjul last month.

Speaking at the final meeting of his nationwide Meet the People Tour in Banjul, President Barrow accused the lawmaker of mobilising children to march towards State House with candles to protest the prolonged power cuts. He also questioned whether Bah had paid the children to participate in the demonstration.

“Banjul North NAM mobilized children; I don’t know if he gave them money or not. They lit candles and headed straight to the State House to protest because there is no electricity in Banjul for 48 hours,” Barrow said.

The President described the protest as a serious criminal offence, declaring: “It’s a treasonable offense because they should not have gone to the State House.”

In a comparison with the administration of former President Yahya Jammeh, Barrow suggested that the demonstrators and the lawmaker would have faced deadly consequences under the previous government.

“If President Jammeh were at the State House, he would kill all of them, and he would shoot the National Assembly Member,” Barrow said.

However, his strongest warning was directed personally at Bah, whom he cautioned against any repetition of such an incident.

“I am warning you. This is the last time. If you repeat this, you will never do it again. We will do something to you that you will never forget till you die,” the President declared.

Barrow did not specify what action his government would take against the lawmaker but warned that any recurrence could carry serious consequences. He emphasised that his patience and tolerance should not be mistaken for cowardice, telling the gathering that he had deliberately reserved the warning for his meeting in Banjul.

The President, who is seeking a third term in office, also criticised Bah’s performance as a National Assembly Member, accusing him of contributing nothing to the development of Banjul while claiming credit for development projects in the Tobacco Road area.

“Tobacco Road was the reason he won the election, but he has not; I’m the one who developed there,” Barrow said.

He further portrayed Bah as an opponent of both his administration and the people of Banjul, accusing the lawmaker of acting against the city’s interests.

“This NAM is someone who made himself an opponent, and he is your opponent as well because he doesn’t want your peace today or tomorrow,” he stated.

Addressing the electricity outages that reportedly prompted the protest, Barrow recalled experiencing prolonged power cuts while growing up in Banjul, arguing that the capital had endured far worse electricity shortages in the past.

“I grew up in Banjul; there were moments when Banjul would go a week without electricity, sometimes a month,” he said.