Former army officer and Gambian diplomat Essa Bokarr Sey has sounded the alarm bells on the grim realities of the growing criminal underworld in The Gambia.

In a Facebook commentary posted a few days ago in which he revealed the murder of a young man following a stabbing incident which was reported at the Wellingar Police Station, Essa Bokarr called for urgent action to save Gambian youths.

‘’Most Gambian youths must be saved from an alcoholic drink called "Ross", cocaine, other home-made intoxicants [as well as] "peer pressure dictatorship" by building juvenile centres or rehabilitation centres with tutors who will train them on special skills, especially in a society that needs skilled workers’’, he said.

Essa Bokarr is widely believed to be close to the security and intelligence outfits of the country, which reputation he earned during the so-called struggle against the former Jammeh regime as he had highly placed security sources.

His followers would notice that he frequently comments on national security and intelligence matters.

He added that there are criminal gangs in the country who has transnational connections in neighbouring countries in the subregion.

‘’Some gangs in The Gambia owe loyalty to a powerful sub-regional black market with affiliate dungeons from Dakar to Accra.’’

Without giving many details, the former soldier identified one gang leader as " Blacka" and another ‘’gang associated with one Falou’’ and alleged that these gangsters receive training conducted by counterpart gangs in Senegal and Guinea Bissau.

On their modus operandi, he said, ‘they identity locations or homes with material to be stolen and sold to buyers in Sandaga, Serekunda Black Market, and beyond’’.

He urged the police and other security agencies to marshall full strength capacity to pursue and shatter these criminal networks before things get out of hand.