Gambian Auditor General Ousted by Police

Gambian police ousted Auditor General Momodou Ceesay after he rejected a cabinet reshuffle (image source)

Gambian police on 15 September forcibly removed Auditor General Momodou Ceesay from his Banjul office after he refused a presidential reshuffle that would have seen him become trade minister, triggering public outrage and demands for the reinstatement of the audit chief.

Plain-clothes officers stormed the National Audit Office to install Cherno Amadou Sowe—promoted by President Adama Barrow—despite Ceesay’s assertion that he never consented to the transfer and had lodged legal objections.

Ceesay had served nearly three years without incident before Barrow’s cabinet shake-up on 12 September. The president’s office claimed Ceesay initially agreed to the trade portfolio but changed his mind—an allegation Ceesay firmly denies. “I accepted no ministerial post,” he told reporters as staff resisted the takeover.

Video footage shared by Graphic Online shows audit staff blocking officers until reinforcements arrived, forcibly ejecting Ceesay from a press briefing and escorting him to his lawyer’s office.

“He refused your appointment. Now you forcibly remove him? Are the Gambian people not watching?” — Activist Kemo Fatty, on social media

The ouster sparked protests led by youth activists who accuse Barrow of seeking a compliant audit chief amid allegations of misallocated assets from former President Yahya Jammeh’s estate. Mass rallies and online campaigns demand Ceesay’s return, threatening sustained demonstrations if the president does not reverse the move.

In a report by NaijaNews, human-rights lawyer Fatou Jarra warned: “Undermining the audit office jeopardises transparency and breaches constitutional safeguards of institutional independence.”

The Auditor General’s Office is mandated by the Gambian constitution to independently review public accounts. Previous administrations have respected this autonomy; Ceesay’s removal marks the first time police have intervened in a staffing dispute—raising serious concerns about executive overreach. Cherno Sowe has yet to assume the role amid mounting resistance. Ceesay plans to challenge his removal in the Supreme Court within 14 days. Meanwhile, ECOWAS and local bar associations have called for an urgent inquiry.

As tensions escalate, the forced ejection of the nation’s chief auditor may prove a watershed moment in West Africa’s wider struggle to safeguard accountability institutions against political interference.