Just as if adding insult to injury, 'witch hunters' accompanied by security forces in the tiny West African republic of The Gambia, have killed at least one person and forcebly abducted well over 1,000 people from the villages of Sibanor and Sintet, impeccable sources told Senegambia News, just hours after the publication of the arrest of opposition politician, Halifa Sallah.

The marauding state sponsored armed bandits, in the likes of The Janjaweed in Sudan, stormed the village of Sibanor, home to the Gambia's Inspector General of police, and abducted dozens of elderly people including men and women. The IGP's aunt is reported to be among those taken away.

Our correspondent in Banjul says yesterday the [witch hunters] invaded the village of Kanfenda, also in the Fonis, where an undisclosed number people were forcefully taken away. An old woman was reported dead at the hands of the invaders in Kanfenda, just as it was the case in the village of Makumbaya, where a released victim died of beatings three days later.

The entire adult population of the village of Sintet has been abducted by president Jammeh's armed bandits. Chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, General Lang Tombong Tamba, is also a native of Sintet village.

Our correspondent also says villagers in the Fonis are running into the forest and to other villages to hide themselves. 

A hamlet in Foni was virtually empty after all it's natives abandoned their homes to hide in other villages that have not been attacked by the invaders.

President Yahya Jammeh's ranch in Kanilai has ostensibly been turned into a detention facility, as abductees from the Foni villages of Sintet, Sibanor and Kanfenda are being warehoused there.

Opposition politician, Halifa Sallah who was picked by plain cloth officers is being detained at the police headquarters in Banjul. He was arrested at his house on sunday at about 1 pm local time by five plain clothes men who took him to Serrekunda police station. But by 830 pm, they moved him to Old Yundum police station, where he spent the night.

Mr Sallah was then moved to the police headquarters for fear of revenge attacks by his supporters who were suspected of planning to storm the Serrekunda station to demand his release.

Sallah is yet to be charged or released. One of his colleagues told our reporter he believes Mr Sallah's arrest had to do with Foroyaa newspaper's continuous publication of the so-called 'witch hunters' in the country.

Before his arrest yesterday, Sallah went to the villages of Makumbaya and Jambur to document complaints from the victims.