By Aja Musu Bah Daffeh
Captain Demba Baldeh of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) was arrested at his home in Farato village by three soldiers in uniform on Sunday, 15th January, 2017 between the hours 10 and 11 in the morning.
Mamadi Jallow, an in-law of the arrested officer, told this reporter that three soldiers came with a black pick up vehicle to their compound and asked to see Capt. Baldeh. Having seen him, he added, the soldiers then escorted him to the waiting vehicle without any explanation given to the family.
The witness said after the arrest of Capt. Baldeh they tried to call his phone on several occasions but without answer. He said the family later visited the Fajara Barracks where he is posted to search for him but were told that he was not held there.
Mr. Jallow revealed that the arrested officer is the breadwinner in the family, adding that his aging mother is always crying and asking about the whereabouts of her son.
“Since the political impasse started, Capt. Baldeh took his family to Nana in Niamina and his two wives are desperate and worried about their husband,” said the witness.
Jallow said the soldiers do not tell them where Capt. Baldeh is being held and that the entire family is calling on the authorities to release their loved one.
