Former National People’s Party (NPP) West Coast executive Fanding Baldeh was arrested at his home in Brikama on Thursday afternoon by officers from the Kanifing Mobile Traffic Unit. Police accused him of openly displaying a “No to Third Term” slogan directed at incumbent President Adama Barrow, part of a campaign that has recently intensified among Gambians opposed to what they call self-perpetuating rule.
Shortly before officers took him into custody, Baldeh posted a statement on his Facebook account describing the encounter.
“Men from the police Traffic Brigade are at my Door that I am supposed to answer at the mobile Traffic Headquarters at Kanifing,” he wrote.
“When I asked the commanding officer, Manlafi Barry, who happened to be a former classmate, why, he confirmed it is about what is written behind my pickup. ‘NO TO THIRD-TERM’. I further asked whether it was an arrest or an invitation; he said it was an invitation. I am trying to hold on to my lawyer. Democracy at risk! Dictatorship sprouting! Politically motivated!”
Baldeh, a former senior figure in the ruling NPP in the West Coast region, alleged that the action stemmed solely from the political message on the rear of his pickup truck. He described the move as an invitation rather than a formal arrest but said he was seeking legal representation as officers waited at his door.
The incident has drawn attention amid ongoing political debates in The Gambia over term limits and governance. No official statement has been released by the police or the Kanifing Mobile Traffic Unit confirming the reasons for the summons or Baldeh’s current status.
Baldeh framed the episode as a threat to democratic norms and accused authorities of politically motivated action.
