Dakar, Senegal - Baba Jobe, Gambia's former parliamentary leader who is serving a nine-year jail term, has died at the age of 54, official sources confirmed to PANA Monday. According to the sources, Mr. Jobe collapsed in his prison cell and was later taken to the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) in Banjul, the Gambian capital, where he died on Saturday, 29 October. The cause of Mr. Jobe's death is not yet known and his remains are said to be kept in the RVTH mortuary. Mr. Jobe who was a close ally of President Yahya Jammeh served as an MP for the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) between 2001 to 2003.

He was arrested in October 2003 and later charged with 'economic crimes' for which he was jailed nine years in March 2004.

This is the second time within a month that a prisoner has died in Gambia's Mile Two Central Prison situated along the outskirts of Banjul capital.

The first case involved a Dutch national who died in jail while on trial along with eight others who were later convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment with hard labour each after they were found guilty of drug peddling charges.

Pana 01/11/2011