Foday Kamara

Over 60 prostitutes deported

Inspector Bubacarr Jallow, public relations officer of the Gambia's Immigration Department has said up to 64 sex workers were deported recently from The Gambia following major night raids around the Tourist Development Areas.

Speaking to our reporter at his office yesterday, Inspector Jallow said most of the foreign sex workers deported were from the Ecowas subregion. He said of the lot 62 of the deportees were Senegalese, a Nigerian and a Sierra Leonean.

He disclosed that the Senegalese were deported through the Amdalai border post with a strong security escort and they were received by the Senegalese immigration personnel.

The Nigerian national, he said, was deported to Lagos on Friday May 31, 2002 while the Sierra Leonean national was deported to Freetown on June 1, 2002.

He disclosed that the deportees were warned that they would face prosecution if they ever visited The Gambia.

He revealed that a Guinean, a Bissau Guinean and two Congolese (from Zaire) are awaiting deportation orders too.

The Immigration Department, he said, deemed it necessary to conduct such raids to check on illegal immigrants who were trading themselves as prostitutes without legal documents.

He said after the raids, the prostitutes were screened and those discovered not fit to stay in the country were deported.

Gambians, he said, were also arrested and were asked to provide sureties before they were granted bail.

He added that the Gambian sex workers who were arrested would be prosecuted in the courts.

The Gambia, he said, is a friendly country and her borders are open to people who could respect her laws.