Sedia Bayo said he was arrested in Dakar for four hours and later released. His arrest came in the wake of a major conference to be held in Senegal today to be attended by Yahya Jammeh. His visit coincides with Jammeh's trip. In fact he said he met with Jammeh's Finance minister and some Cabinet members of the Macky Sall government.
According to Mr. Bayo, he and his delegation have been banned from going close to the hotel until after the summit. He said the Senegalese security agents treated him with respect throughout his arrest. He is now a free man. But he cannot go to the hotel where Jammeh Musa and other heads of state were suppose to meet and discuss sub-regional issues. Below is Bayo's Skype message to me. We edited some of Bayo's statements for security reasons. These are confidential info....The statement is published as it was sent through Skype...
...................................
SALAM ALAYKOUM MR MBAI, I WENT TO THE UEMOA SUMMIT AT THE KING FAHAD PALACE IN DAKAR THIS THURSDAY 24 OCTOBER 2013 TO MEET AMATH DANSOKO, THE MINISTER ADVICER OF MACKY SALL AROUND 5.20PM AND I WAS VERY LUCKY TO SEE DIRECTLY THE MINISTER KEBBA TOURAY WHEN I JUST ENTERED AT THE HALL RECEPTION, HE WAS CHECKING HIS PHONE WHEN I START TO ASK HIM HIS NAME AND THEN ASK HIM WHEN THEY ARRIVED, HE ANSWERED ME JUST YESTERDAY... THEN I TOOK MY TIME TO DISCUSS AND MEET DIFFERENTS KEY PEOPLE IN THE CABINET OF MACKY SALL BEFORE TO GO THE SPECIAL RESTAURANT ORGAMIZED FOR THE SUMMIT WITH MY SECURITY STAFF... LESS THAN TEN MINUTES AFTER MY PRESENCE IN THE RESTAURANT, THE SENEGALESE GENDARMERIE BY THE COMMANDER NDIAYE AND GUEYE COME TO ARREST ME AND BRING ME TO THE GENDARMERIE STATION IN NGOR, A CITY LOCATED BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND THE ALMADIES AERA... THEY SCARED THAT I WENT TO THE SUMMIT WITH THE INTENTIONS TO MADE A SABOTAGE WITH THE GAMBIAN DELEGATION. ACCORDING TO MY SOURCES HERE, JA MMEH WILL LAND AT DAKAR AT 8 AM THIS FRIDAY TO ATTEND THE 17TH EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF ECOWAS, HERE IN SENEGAL...
MEANWHILE I WAS LEAVING THE KING FAHAD PALACE, MACKY SALL STAFF SECURITY TOLD TO MY SECURITY....
YES FOR 4 HOURS BUT THEY RELEASED ME AROUND 9PM
BUT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING MR MBAI I LEARNT A LOT ABOUT JAMMEH AND MACKY SALL ADMINISTRATION DURING THESE FEW HOURS..
THEY SAID IF MY PEOPLE CREATE A SABOTAGE WITH THE GAMBIAN DELEGATION, IT MEANS IT IS A SABOTAGE FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMIT. THEY SAID THEY RECEIVED A LOT OF COMPLAIN FROM GAMBIANS DISSIDENTS ABOUT THEIRS SECURITIES AND THREATENS THEY RECEIVED FROM THE NIA AGENTS IN DAKAR...
WHAT WAS MY INTENTIONS WHEN I LANDED IN DAKAR AND ESPECIALLY WHY I CAME TO THE KING FAHAD HOTEL DURING THE SUMMIT AND THEN THEY BANNED ME TO COME BACK TO THE HOTEL TILL SUNDAY, THE DAY OF THE END OF THE SUMMIT.
THEY REVEALED TO ME ALSO THAT JAMMEH IS SPONSORING THE REBELLION IN THE AREA OF BIGNONA IN CASAMANCE AND THEY ARE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE HE IS GIVING VERY GOOD WEAPONS TO THE REBELS..