Clarification on the Incident involving our staff and Mr Musa Barrow, who arrived Banjul International Airport on July 17, 2025
The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) wishes to clarify to the general public regarding the incident involving Gambian international footballer Mr. Musa Barrow, who arrived via Turkish Airlines at 7:00 PM today.
As per standard procedure, all arriving passengers undergo mandatory luggage scanning managed by a joint security task force comprising the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG), State Intelligence Services (SIS), Food Safety Unit, Joint Security Task Force, and Public Health officials. During this process, a few of Mr. Barrow’s items were flagged by the Analysis and Protection officers’ routine concerns.
Mr. Barrow was not engaged with GID officials after being informed of the flagged luggage. Instead, his brother and some individuals posing as his staff took him to Mrs. Anja Jagne, the GRA Station Supervisor, who was off duty. Mrs. Jagne, who has no authority to intervene in such matters, attempted to present invoices supporting documentation for the items. However, she failed to present invoices supporting the declaration of the items, which included a sum of D150,000 (D150 thousand) in cash.
In the absence of proper validation documents, customs officials deemed the D150,000 (D150 thousand) sum suspicious and ordered further checks. Mr. Barrow’s brother and the individuals claiming to be his staff became hostile, leading to a scuffle. The situation escalated, and after further deliberations, the cash was counted and found to be D100,000 (D100 thousand) less than the declared amount.
Consequently, all involved were detained and handed over to the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG) for further investigation and verification of identity documents. The Gambia Police Force has since taken over the matter and will ensure compliance with the law.
The GID wishes to assure the general public that all arriving passengers are subject to the same screening process regardless of their status or profession. The authority remains committed to professionalism and integrity in discharging its mandate.
For further clarification, please contact: GRA Management
- Website: www.gra.gm
- Email: info@gra.gm
- Phone: +220 4223641
