Bai Lowe, a former member of the Junglers, was given a life sentence by a German court in Celle for his role in the killings of journalist Deyda Hydara and Dawda Nyassi, as well as the attempted murder of Baba Jobe’s attorney Ousman Sillah. On December 16, 2004, Hydara, a former AFP correspondent and co-founder of The Point newspaper, was shot and killed in a drive-by incident.
Nyassi, a former Liberian combatant, was also put to death by Junglers after he returned, allegedly due to his plot to topple former president Yahya Jammeh.
Since 2017, Lowe’s conviction is the third instance in which crimes committed under former President Yahya Jammeh have been successfully prosecuted. Seven former NIA employees were given sentences in July 2022 by the Banjul High Court for their roles in the assassination of opposition activist Ebrima Solo Sandeng.
A Banjul high court had condemned Yankuba Touray, a former local government minister, for his role in Ousman Koro Ceesay’s murder at the same time last year. Former Finance Minister Ceesay was assassinated in June of 1995.
In 2024, two further cases pertaining to offenses under Jammeh are anticipated to start. While Michael Correa is accused of torturing people in the United States, Ousman Sonko, a former interior minister, is charged with crimes against humanity in Switzerland.
