The editor of TODAY newspaper, Abdouhamid Adiamoh was on Monday 21 July charged by the police for sedition. He was arrested Thursday July 17 2008 and spends several hours for questioning. He is the third journalist’s currently standing trial in the courts of the Gambia.

In an interview with this reporter Adiamoh said he was questioned about an article he published on 15 July 2008. The police are not happy with the story showing a school going child scavenging in a dump site. He was told that the whole story was sabotage. His offices were first visited by a contingent of police indicating he did not have all the legal document required to operate a newspaper, On their surprised he was able to produce all relevant papers authorizing him to operate a newspaper, it was there after he was told that his front page story is seditiousHere is the story in question re produce; the original shows a picture of a child on the front page of the TODAY newspaper.

CHILDREN DODGE SCHOOL TO PICK SCRAP TO PICK SCRAP METAL by Pa Bajinka and Boe Saw

A good number of children between the ages of seven and nine are now believed to be staying away from school to scour around town for scrap metals which they then sell for meager amounts to scrap metal merchants.

In an interview conducted by TODAY, many school aged   children disclosed that they usually go dump site and old vehicle garage to collect metal which they sell. They claim to use the money to buy food. According to these children, the merchants buy every kilo of the mental at two or three dalasi. These children also claim to be registered in schools, but admitted that they often skip classes in order to find the time to scour and searched for scrap metal. However, conditions at the scrap metal sites are far from   child – friendly. Our reporters found reptile and rodents hiding at amidst the scrap metal junk; likely hazards for the children.

The children also search for their merchandise without any protective gear which could safe them from serious injury. They are thus exposed to cuts and bruises and a host of bacteria infection contactable fervent visits to the reuse dumps.

Some of these children even admitted to TODAY that they have not been in school for a long time and that their parents are not aware of this.

A man who wants anonymity pointed out that the people buying the scrap do so because of selfish interests and not in the interest of the children who should be in school. This will seriously affects the education of the children and its becoming a problem in almost all parts of the country, he said.