Society Gists

It has emerged that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu‘s private aircraft was used to fly former Gambia’s President, Yahya Jammeh out of the country on Saturday, January 21.

According to The Nation, after finally agreed to leave office on Saturday night, following last-minute pressure from Guinean President Alpha Conde and his Mauritanian counterpart Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, there was no plane fly him out of Gambia.

It was reported that the leaders then contacted Tinubu, who authorised his private plane – VP-CBT Falcon Jet – to be used to fly Jammeh out of Banjul, Gambia’s capital.

The All Progressives Congress leader was said to have given the condition that the plane should only be used “if it will facilitate the quick exit of Jammeh and lead to the restoration of peace and democracy in The Gambia.”

Consequently, the plane flew out Jammeh, his wife, mother and President Conde to Equitorial Guinea.

It was gathered that, before their departure, Senegal insisted on knowing those on board before allowing the plane to overfly its airspace – the demand was granted.

Jammeh’s exit marked the end of 22 years of dictatorship in the tiny West African country.

He had rejected the results of the December 1 presidential election, which was won by Adama Barrow.

For weeks, ECOWAS leaders had persuaded him to step down but he refused until an army was raised by the African Council, with troops drawn from Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana to remove him by force.

He was said to have surrendered and agreed to go on exile in Guinea on Saturday night.