By Fatou Sillah
A Gambian journalist was allegedly questioned by state security agents and had his passport confiscated following his involvement in a community fundraising event that drew prominent political figures, according to a youth activist who raised the alarm over the incident.
Omar Camara, spokesperson for the youth group GALA, said journalist Omar P. Jallow, who works with the state broadcaster GRTS and is attached to the office of the vice president, was detained for questioning by state intelligence officers. His passport was subsequently seized, Camara said, preventing him from traveling with the vice president to the United States on Friday night.
Camara alleged that the episode followed a village fundraising and cultural event in which Jallow served on the organizing committee. The event reportedly included invitations to opposition leader Talib Ahmed Bensouda of the Unite Movement for Change and Deputy Speaker Seedy SK Njie, who is also the deputy spokesperson for the ruling National People’s Party.
Camara, in a call with Kerr Fatou, stated that issues reportedly emerged after Njie objected to Bensouda’s invitation, adding that the situation escalated into accusations that Jallow had acted as a spy within the vice president’s office. Those claims, Camara said, were later used to justify the journalist’s questioning and the seizure of his travel documents.
“This guy had been reported to the state as a spy within the office of the vice president,” Camara said. “So, currently, he was supposed to travel with the vice president to the US, and then his passport had been seized,” he said.
He described the actions as politically motivated intimidation, arguing that Mr. Jallow had no control over which political figures the community chose to invite.
“This is just normal intimidation,” he said. “Because he has no power to stop the village from inviting who they want. If the village wants to invite Talib, that should be okay.”
Camara also warned that the incident raised broader concerns about democratic practice and political tolerance. “This is a serious threat to our democracy and elections because people are being targeted just because a community made a decision. The integrity of the electoral process could be questioned,” he said.
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, leader of the United Movement for Change, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page that he had confirmed the report and that Mr. Jallow had done nothing wrong. He stressed that his invitation to the annual event had originated from the community, not the journalist.
“Let me be clear: Omar Jallow has done nothing wrong,” Mr. Bensouda said. “The village independently chose me as their preferred guest for their annual festival. And even if he had supported UMC, that is entirely within his democratic right.”
He added that intimidation should not be normalized in public life. “We must not normalize intimidation, and we must not allow fear to replace freedom,” he said.
Mr. Bensouda also called on President Adama Barrow to forgo seeking another term, warning that recent developments risk undermining democratic progress. “I have repeatedly appealed to President Barrow: do not pursue a third term and drag this country backwards toward dictatorship,” he said.
Contacted by Kerr Fatou, Mr. Jallow declined to comment.
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