Ousman Sanneh, Deputy Inspector-General of the Gambia Police Force, was yesterday morning pronounced dead at Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, after a two-month long running illness.

Confirming the incident to the Daily Observer, Superintendent Famara Jobarteh, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Gambia Police Force said: “It is true that we lost our great colleague this morning at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital.” However, the Police Spokesperson could not establish the cause of the demise of the Deputy IGP Sanneh. Notwithstanding, he pointed out that the decease had been “seriously ill” for the past couple of months, resulting to his admission at RVTH.

The body of late Mr. Sanneh will be laid to rest today at his native town of Brikama at 10:00 a m.

Professional career

Mr. Sanneh was enlisted to the former National Gendarmerie in September 1982 and had rose through various ranks to Assistant Superintendent, when he joined the Police following the amalgamation of the Gendarmerie with the Police in 1993.

In 1998, Mr. Sanneh was promoted to the rank of Superintendent and had served in the capacity of Police Divisional Commander at different divisions across the country, before he was promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent and later to the rank of Commissioner in 2004.

He was also at one time the Officer-in-Charge of Personnel and Career Unit, Territorial Commander Mobile Traffic and later Controller of Government Vehicles.

In 2005, Mr. Sanneh was appointed as the Commissioner of Brikama Division and later as the Commissioner of Police Operations Until in August 2006, before he was appointed to the Office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police.