In a video circulating online, eyewitnesses say officers of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) stormed the NAO just as Ceesay prepared to address journalists.
He was ordered to halt and escorted into a private office before being barred from re-entering the premises “until further notice.”
Outside the building, GALA activists Alieu Bah and Kemo Fatty were arrested during a press conference convened to denounce what they called the “illegal removal” of the Auditor General.
PIU officers reportedly used tear gas indiscriminately to disperse the crowd, preventing journalists from covering the unfolding events.
The standoff follows the government’s announcement on September 10 that Ceesay had been appointed Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment as part of a cabinet reshuffle. But the following day, the Auditor General rejected the offer in writing, insisting he had not been consulted beforehand.
“I neither accepted it verbally nor in writing. Upon receiving the letter on 10th September 2025, I swiftly rejected the offer the same day,” Ceesay said in a statement, stressing that he remains committed to his constitutional duty at the NAO.
His remarks directly contradict Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, who told the media that the Auditor General had been consulted and accepted the appointment.
Civil society organisations, including GALA, have condemned the state’s action as unconstitutional.
They argue that the Auditor General can only be removed through due legal process, such as a tribunal or inquiry, and not by executive reshuffle.
GALA also note that the NAO Act 2015 safeguards the independence of the Auditor General’s office, warning that Monday’s intervention could set a dangerous precedent for the erosion of institutional oversight.
Modou Ceesay, appointed Auditor General in 2022, has overseen a string of high-profile audit reports exposing irregularities in government accounts and calling for tighter spending controls. His leadership has won praise from the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.
As of press time, the police had not issued a formal statement on the arrests of Bah and Fatty, while the NAO remained heavily guarded.
