Two protesters and a photojournalist have been arrested by police in The Gambia following the ejection of Auditor General Modou Ceesay from the National Audit Office on Monday.
The anti-corruption activists identified as Alieu Bah and Kemo Fatty, who were holding a press conference were quickly bundled at the carriage of a pickup vehicle belonging to the Police Intervention Union parked outside the audit office.
Another, a photojournalist identified as Bakary Tamba is also reportedly detained by the police.
Bah and Fatty belong to the Gambia Against Looted Assets (GALA), a group formed in protest over the questionable sale of the assets of former President Yahya Jammeh and organised demonstrations in July.
GALA are threatening another mass civil action to shake the foundations of the government including President Barrow if Ceesay is not reinstated.
Ceesay who was appointed to the position two years ago was frogmarched from his office by plainclothes police officers who were initially prevented from taking him away by employees of the National Audit Office, prompting reinforcements to effect his arrest.
The former accountant general’s arrest followed a row over his appointment as trade minister in a mild cabinet reshuffle by President Barrow whose office later on Monday released a statement claiming that Ceesay had initially accepted the offer only to change his mind later.
Cherno Amadou Sowe has been appointed in Ceesay’s stead but has not assumed office amid the controversy.
Ceesay who is credited with setting up an internal investigative unit at NAO to unearth institutional corruption, has since issued a statement saying he was in consultation with his lawyers on his next course of action.
Under him NAO was behind an avalanche of revelations of corruption which critics of President Barrow claim he was attempting to cover up by Ceesay’s removal, which a statement from the presidency denied.
WN/as/APA