History Corner
With BY BERRAY SOWE
National Archives of The Gambia
A confrontation between British colonial officials and residents of Njabakunda in 1940 over a tax assessment exercise resulted in the arrest, prosecution and banishment of Alhaji Salim Jaiteh, the town’s Imam and Alkalo, in an episode that exposed the complex political and administrative struggles surrounding Central Badibou.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a proposed reorganisation of Central Badibou following the dismissal of its chief, Seku Dibba, whose conviction on several charges, including extortion, had weakened the colonial administration’s confidence in the Dibba family of Sallikeni.
Archival records preserved at the National Archives of The Gambia, particularly files PUB 13/11 and CF45/1, show that the proposed reorganisation generated competing positions among communities and influential local leaders.
The dispute eventually extended beyond the question of administrative boundaries and chieftaincy to taxation, bringing Jaiteh into direct confrontation with the colonial authorities.
Badibou before colonial rule
The political history of Central Badibou predates British colonial administration by several centuries.
According to records held at the National Archives of The Gambia and research by historian David P. Gamble, Badibou was historically governed by Soninke kings whose capital towns were located east of the Bao Bolong.
The kingdom was ruled through a system involving several royal families, including the Jadamas of Jumansar, the Mamburis of Kubandar, the Marongs of India and Jajari, and the Jammehs of Illiasa. The kingship was reportedly rotated among these families.
The kingdom extended from the Sanjal area towards the Mini Miniang Creek, with communities developing their own political and social structures within the wider kingdom.
This political order was profoundly disrupted in the 19th century by the expansion of Maba Jahu Bah.
In 1861, Maba entered Badibou and sought alliances with Muslim communities in the western part of the kingdom before confronting the Soninke forces.
Njabakunda and Sallikeni, both strongly Muslim communities, joined Maba, followed by other major settlements including Banni, Suwareh Kunda, Kerewan and Saba. Nokunda and Konte Kunda later joined the alliance.
Maba’s forces eventually defeated the Badibou army at Tunka. Jeriba Marong, the king of Badibou, was captured and killed, while Yira Masang Jammeh, the king’s chief general, had died before the decisive battle.
Maba subsequently established himself as the dominant power in Badibou, extending his influence northwards and founding Kutango before taking Nioro.
He was killed in Sine in 1867 while fighting the Joofs.
His death did not restore the old political order. Communities in western Badibou, including Njabakunda and Sallikeni, later rebelled against the Soninke authority, while political divisions continued to shape the region before the consolidation of British colonial rule.
Badibou under British rule
British control brought further changes to the political organisation of Badibou.
Following the Anglo-French Agreement of 1889, a boundary between British and French territories was established. In 1893, the British flag was presented to Jatta Selang Jammeh, making him chief of the wider Badibou area.
However, Muslim communities in western Badibou were reportedly unhappy with remaining under a Soninke ruler.
In 1895, the administration divided Badibou into Upper and Lower Badibou. A second flag was presented to Lang Sarjo Dibba of Sallikeni, an important Muslim settlement.
Further changes followed in 1913, when Lower Badibou was created as a separate district. The chieftaincy initially remained with the Singhatehs of Saba before moving in 1925 to the Kintehs of Kinteh Kunda.
The Sallikeni area subsequently became known as Central Badibou.
The emergence of Central Badibou as a distinct administrative area therefore reflected successive colonial efforts to reorganise local authority and bring traditional political structures within the colonial system.
The 1940 crisis
By 1940, the colonial administration had become increasingly dissatisfied with the leadership of the Dibba family of Sallikeni.
Archival correspondence indicates that several chiefs from the family had either been forced to resign or had left office following allegations of poor administration or unlawful conduct.
They included Lamin Dibba Chaku, Foday Bakary Dibba, Karamo Dibba and Bakary Dibba.
Only Arfang Dibba, identified as the third chief, reportedly died while in office.
The dismissal of Seku Dibba on 24 April 1940 became a decisive moment.
Seku Dibba had been convicted by the Provincial Court on several cases, including extortion, and was subsequently removed from office.
The colonial administration then considered breaking up Central Badibou.
The proposal was to attach the western part to Lower Badibou under Chief Janko Kinteh and the eastern part to Upper Badibou under Chief Tamba Jammeh.
But the proposal encountered different reactions from communities across the district.
Communities divided over the proposal
Archival records identify Alhaji Salim Jaiteh of Njabakunda and Lang Nyako of Nokunda as two prominent individuals who expressed the views of their respective communities.
Nokunda favoured joining Upper Badibou under Chief Tamba Jammeh.
Njabakunda initially supported joining Lower Badibou under Chief Janko Kinteh. However, opposition later emerged against the appointment of Janko, with residents calling for another person to be appointed instead.
Sallikeni, meanwhile, wanted to retain the chieftaincy.
The disagreement showed that the proposed reorganisation was about more than administrative convenience. It involved questions of local identity, traditional authority and political influence.
The colonial administration took about two years to determine the final arrangement.
On 20 August 1940, Kebba Dibba of Sallikeni was appointed chief, allowing the chieftaincy to remain in Sallikeni despite the earlier proposal to divide Central Badibou.
Before the issue was fully resolved, however, a confrontation at Njabakunda brought the dispute into sharper focus.
The Njabakunda tax assessment incident
A confidential report by F.A. Evens, Commissioner for the North Bank Province, provides details of the confrontation.
According to correspondence dated 1 October 1940 and preserved under archival reference CF45/1, Evens travelled to Njabakunda on 26 September with Lang Kinteh and Karamo Kinteh to conduct a tax assessment exercise.
They encountered strong resistance from residents.
The colonial report described the response as riotous and identified Alhaji Salim Jaiteh as the leading figure in the opposition.
Taxation was a central element of colonial administration in the Protectorate. Tax assessment was therefore not merely a financial exercise but an important demonstration of government authority.
The confrontation at Njabakunda took place amid the wider political uncertainty over Central Badibou. The question of who had authority to assess taxes, administer communities and represent the colonial government was closely connected to the broader dispute over local leadership.
The resistance consequently became a serious matter for the colonial administration.
Alhaji Salim Jaiteh
Jaiteh was not an ordinary resident.
In an affidavit dated 7 October 1940 and preserved in PUB 13/11, he identified himself as the Imam and Alkalo of Njabakunda, positions he had held for 26 years.
He stated that he was 70 years old in 1940 and had travelled to Mecca twice.
His position as Imam gave him religious authority, while his role as Alkalo placed him at the centre of the community’s traditional administration.
The records also indicate that, following Seku Dibba’s dismissal, Jaiteh was offered the chieftaincy twice but declined.
His refusal is significant in understanding the relationship between traditional authority and colonial administration.
The British authorities relied on chiefs and other local leaders to administer the Protectorate, but influential religious and traditional figures could possess substantial authority outside the formal colonial hierarchy.
Jaiteh’s influence appears to have been particularly strong.
Colonial records referred to him by the nickname “Black Hitler”, a description that reflected the administration’s perception of his influence and opposition.
Arrest, prosecution and banishment
Following the confrontation over the tax assessment, Jaiteh was arrested and charged.
He was detained in Bathurst, the colonial capital, before being banished to Faraba Banta in the South Bank Province.
His removal from Njabakunda effectively separated one of the community’s most influential leaders from his people during a period of political and administrative uncertainty.
The banishment was not permanent.
In 1943, Jaiteh returned to Njabakunda and resumed his responsibilities as both Alkalo and Imam.
His return illustrates that, despite the colonial administration’s ability to arrest, prosecute and remove local leaders, traditional authority remained an important force within Protectorate communities.
A broader struggle over authority
The Njabakunda incident provides a valuable window into the relationship between colonial authority and local political structures.
The British administration viewed the reorganisation of Central Badibou largely through the lens of administrative efficiency and effective control.
Local communities, however, viewed questions of chieftaincy, taxation and territorial attachment through their own political and social interests.
The proposed division of Central Badibou generated competing positions among Njabakunda, Nokunda and Sallikeni.
The tax assessment confrontation subsequently demonstrated how administrative policies could become flashpoints when they intersected with local leadership disputes.
For the colonial authorities, resistance to taxation could be interpreted as defiance of government authority.
For local residents, however, opposition could also reflect concerns about who had legitimate authority to make decisions affecting their communities.
Jaiteh’s arrest and banishment should therefore be understood within this wider context.
Conclusion
The 1940 Njabakunda tax assessment incident remains an important episode in the history of colonial Gambia.
It occurred at a critical moment when the British administration was reconsidering the political and administrative structure of Central Badibou following the dismissal of Seku Dibba.
The proposed reorganisation generated competing demands from communities and influential leaders, revealing that colonial administrative decisions were subject to negotiation, resistance and local political interests.
Alhaji Salim Jaiteh’s role in the Njabakunda confrontation illustrates the influence that religious and traditional leaders continued to exercise despite the expanding reach of colonial institutions.
His arrest, prosecution and banishment to Faraba Banta demonstrated the willingness of the colonial authorities to use coercive measures against leaders they regarded as challenging government authority.
Yet his return to Njabakunda in 1943 and resumption of his positions as Imam and Alkalo also demonstrate the resilience of local institutions.
The episode, preserved in the records of the National Archives of The Gambia, shows that colonial rule was not exercised solely through official decisions taken in Bathurst or provincial offices. It was also shaped by encounters with communities and local leaders who negotiated, resisted and sometimes challenged the policies imposed upon them.
The story of Njabakunda in 1940 is therefore not simply a story about a tax assessment. It is a story about authority, community identity, chieftaincy and resistance during a formative period in the administrative history of The Gambia.
References
National Archives of The Gambia, PUB 13/11.
National Archives of The Gambia, CF45/1, confidential correspondence concerning the Njabakunda tax assessment incident, 1940.
Gamble, David P. (1999), Gambian Studies: The North Bank of The Gambia: Places, People, and Population: The Nyooni, Jokadou, and Badibou Districts.
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