Viewed by most with the lenses of a villain largely wowing to what most interpret as his blatant refusal to come clean of atrocities he committed, Edward will be remembered nonetheless as a big part of this country’s history.
Born in 1968 in the United Kingdom to a Gambian father, Edward switched to the Gambia completing schooling in 1987 before working for two years at Gambia Civil Aviation Authority between 1989-1990.
He worked at the aforesaid institution as an electrical engineer prior to swapping career to enlist into Gambia’s army who were on the hunt for recruits.
This moved will change the life of a man then viewed as a foreigner despite being born to a Gambian father hence his sobriquet toubabo – a local parlance for a white or mixed race. He will undergo military training in the United States morphing into a infantry man.
1994 COUP
Now a father-of-four, the erstwhile Ecowas commission’s vice-chairperson came to the limelight for helping execute the 1994 coup that would bring Jammeh to Gambians for two decades. Sana B. Sabally launched the coup but Edward mounted pressure to remove Sir Dawda Jawara from State House.
What was then perceived beginning of an end to endemic corruption due to the soldiers slogan to wipe out embezzlement of public coffers purported to be the hall mark of the first republic’s reign turned a nightmare amid later betrayal marring the regime.
Edward participated in the psychological torture of the likes of Ebrima Chongan and other security chiefs seen to be loyalists of Jawara.
NOVEMBER 11TH
Following this was the November 11 massacre of soldiers four months on the heels of the take over. Edward and rest of the Junta members were all in attendance and participated in the killing of at least ten coupists with the exception of Yaya Jammeh.
Another event highlighted of the UK-born’s involvement is his threat to blow up a truckload of captured soldiers with a grenade at Yundum. The soldiers were the November 11 men whose leaders Basiru Barrow and Dot Faal were summarily executed at the Fajara Barracks 10th of November 1994 after being stopped in their tracks of a mutiny by Sana Sabally and co.
KORO CEESAY’S BRUTAL DEMISE
Edward Singhatey, his brother Peter, Yankuba Touray and some soldiers including then couple Alagie Kanyi are accused of killing Koro Ceesay.
Koro was the junta’s minister of finance but ran into trouble with his bosses for threatening to unravel the soldiers pillaging of the national coffers.
Edward led the operation, in the narration of self-confessed killer Kanyi, then lured the unsuspecting Koro into Yankuba Touray’s residence at Bakau K-Point where the civilian cabinet member’s life was abruptly ended before his remains were charred in a doctored accident aimed at a cover-up.
Edward is 52 today having celebrated his birthday August 8th.
