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Gambian police arrests two top security operatives of the Jammeh-era

Gambian police arrests two top security operatives of the Jammeh-era

Gambia

Gambian police have confirmed the arrest ot two top security allies of the former President Yahya Jammeh, local news portal SMBC reports.

Yankuba Badjie, head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and his director of operations, Sheikh Omar Jangne are in police custody as investigations continue. The duo were arrested on Monday.

“We have arrested Yankuba Badjie former director of NIA and Sheikh Omar Jagne director of operations. Investigations are ongoing,” Foday Conta, spokesperson of Gambia police is quoted to have said.

The two men were at the NIA during the period where forced disappearances and killings were recorded under the Jammeh regime. Badjie is the first top operative of the NIA to be arrested for questioning. Rights defenders have hailed the arrest as great news for victims of injustice.

Jammeh's henchmen, the National Intelligence Agency director Yankuba Badjie & director of ops Sheikh Omar Jeng arrested – saiks2. #Gambia

— Ruth Maclean (ruthmaclean) February 21, 2017

President Adama Barrow late last month changed the name of the NIA to the State Intelligence Services (SIS) as part of efforts aimed at breaking it off its tainted past.

“The rule of the law, that will be the order of the day,” he said. “We need an intelligence service. It’s an institution that has to continue, but the name will change,” Barrow said at the time.

Barrow beat Jammeh in polls last December and was only recently inaugurated as President during the country’s independence day celebration. He was forced to take an initial oath of office in Dakar at a time Jammeh had refused to cede power.

But after regional forces under the ECOWAS were deployed to oust Jammeh, he agreed to leave the country after last-minute mediation efforts by Presidents of Guinea and Mauritania. He is currently in Equatorial Guinea.

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