Mai Ahmad Fatty, a former Interior Minister and Special Presidential Advisor, has advocated that security personnel on assignment be permitted to carry weapons at all times, albeit under rigorous operational conditions.

In an interview with The Standard following the murder of two police officers at Sukuta on Tuesday, Fatty, who is also the leader of the Gambia Moral Congress, stated, “Recent events, and indeed this crippling straw that broke the camel’s back, must prompt a new milestone in the system and art of policing. Certain categories of on-duty police officers should now be permitted to carry firearms to defend themselves and the public. In addition, it is essential to review, alter, and implement fundamental reforms in the overall internal security architecture. In order to effectively address the new security challenges of the 21st century, national security requirements necessitate our nation to engage in extensive out-of-the-box thought.

Fatty condemned the murders as a grotesque, heinous, and cowardly act committed against “our country.”

“The murderer, who took so many young lives without provocation, must pay dearly for his heinous crime.” The severe trauma inflicted on our nation must not result in despondency. The calamitous muzzle of a coward’s gun is testing the resiliency of our nation, and our nation will remain steadfast, unified in sorrow to surmount this terrifying threat,” he stated.

He expressed his condolences to the families of the slain heroes, the Gambia Police Force, the administration, and the Gambian people as a whole.

He stated, “I join our nation in solemn mourning over the untimely deaths of our valiant officers (PC Pateh Jallow and PC Sang Gomez) in the line of duty.”