Three Years Without Salary: Former Immigration Officer Alleges Unfair Dismissal, Demands Answers

Written by: Dawda Baldeh

Former Gambia Immigration Department officer Foday Danso has accused the institution of withholding his salary for approximately three years before dismissing him under circumstances he believes were unfair and procedurally irregular.

Danso, who joined the department in 2011, said his troubles began with a dispute over D50,000 distributed during former President Yahya Jammeh’s nationwide tour in 2016. What followed, according to him, were repeated transfers, disciplinary allegations, years without regular pay and an eventual dismissal that he continues to challenge.

In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network (TFN), Danso described his unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter through official channels. He is now demanding an independent review of his employment records, disciplinary proceedings and dismissal, as well as payment of any outstanding salary and benefits.

TFN has obtained official correspondence relating to allegations of absence from duty, a warning over Danso’s decision to discuss his employment dispute publicly and a dismissal letter dated November 28th, 2025.

The D50,000 Dispute

Danso traces the beginning of his troubles to 2016, when he was serving as a corporal in Bansang, in the Central River Region.

He said he was deployed to Janjanbureh for security duties during former President Yahya Jammeh’s nationwide tour, where he and other security personnel were each given D50,000.

According to Danso, he understood the money to be a personal gift but decided to share portions of it with colleagues upon returning to his station.

“I gave my Commissioner Ebrima Jobarteh D10,000, D5,000 for my deputy commissioner, D2,500 to my seniors and D500 to each junior officer,” he said.

He alleged that his Regional Commissioner subsequently challenged the distribution, insisting that the money was intended for the region rather than individual officers.

Danso disputed that interpretation, maintaining that no such instruction had been communicated when the money was handed to him.

The disagreement eventually led to an instruction being entered in the station diary directing him to stop reporting for duty, he claimed.

He was later transferred to Operation Bulldozer in the Kombo area and subsequently posted to Siffoe Immigration Station in the West Coast Region.

Danso believes these developments marked the beginning of a prolonged dispute with his superiors.

Three Years Without a Salary

Danso alleged that his salary was withheld between 2018 and 2021, during which he received only one payment, covering January 2021.

TFN has obtained a letter dated April 27th, 2018, signed by then Commissioner of Immigration Ebrima Jobarteh and addressed to Danso. The letter, bearing the reference “ID: TC 04/04/18 IMMWRC,” accused him of failing to report for duty at the Siffoe Immigration Post.

Danso disputes the allegations surrounding his absence. He said he continued making efforts to report for duty and resolve his salary problems with senior immigration officials.

He further alleged that other officers had faced similar accusations of failing to report to their duty stations, but that his salary was the one ultimately withheld.

According to Danso, Seedy Mukhtarr Touray, who now serves as Inspector General of Police, instructed him at one point to remain at home until the matter was resolved.

Despite having gone approximately three years without regular pay, Danso said he was later called upon to participate in a nationwide tour.

During that assignment, he alleged that Commissioner Jobarteh gave him D200 and promised that his outstanding salary would eventually be paid.

He maintains that the arrears have never been settled.

Danso said the loss of income placed considerable financial strain on him and his family, leaving him dependent on repeated appeals to senior officials for assistance.

Taking His Complaint to the Media

After unsuccessful attempts to resolve the dispute internally, Danso decided to speak publicly about his situation during an interview on Home Digital FM.

He said the decision came after his efforts to obtain answers through official channels failed.

Following the broadcast, Danso said he visited the Treasury and discovered that his salary for January 2021 had been released. He maintained that this was the only payment he received during the period in question.

His decision to discuss the matter publicly, however, resulted in a formal warning from the Immigration Department.

TFN has obtained a letter dated January 20th, 2021, issued by then Director General Seedy Touray, describing Danso’s decision to discuss his employment dispute on radio as “unacceptable.”

Danso defended his decision to speak publicly, insisting that he had exhausted other avenues in his efforts to recover his salary.

New Disciplinary Allegations

Danso’s employment troubles continued in 2022, when he was posted to Kwinella Immigration Station in the Lower River Region.

He said he learned through social media that fresh allegations had been made against him concerning an incident at Sinbanor, a community in the West Coast Region.

According to Danso, he was accused of abandoning his assigned duty post, establishing an unauthorised checkpoint and collecting D4,000 from a man identified as Cherno Sulayman Jallow.

He denied the allegations.

Danso said he was subsequently arrested and taken toward Banjul for investigation. He recalled informing officials that his wife was heavily pregnant and alone at home at the time.

When he eventually reported to Banjul, he claimed that officials presented him with 10 charge sheets.

However, he maintained that he was not provided with the specific charge relating to the alleged abandonment of his Kwinella post and the establishment of an unauthorised checkpoint at Sinbanor.

He said he was subsequently instructed to remain at home while the matter was being handled.

Dismissal Letter Raises Questions

Danso said he made several trips to Banjul to establish the status of the disciplinary proceedings.

During one of those visits, he claimed that the Personal Assistant to the Commissioner of Operations handed him a letter informing him of his dismissal from the Immigration Department.

TFN has obtained a copy of a dismissal letter issued by the department’s Human Resource Office, dated November 28th, 2025.

The letter refers to an investigation report and orderly room charge sheets dated November 6th, 2025, and states that the Director General directed Danso’s dismissal with effect from November 27th, 2025.

It also instructs him to surrender departmental materials in his possession.

Danso maintained that he was not given a meaningful opportunity to respond to the allegations before the dismissal decision was communicated to him.

He subsequently took the letter to the Office of the Permanent Secretary in an attempt to seek clarification, but said he was initially unable to meet the official.

When he returned approximately a month later, Danso claimed he was informed that the letter could not be authenticated because neither the Permanent Secretary’s Office nor the Ministry of Interior had a copy.

His account raises questions about the disciplinary process leading to his dismissal, including whether he was afforded an adequate opportunity to defend himself and whether the relevant government offices maintained records of the decision.

Although TFN has examined a copy of the dismissal letter, it has not independently verified Danso’s allegation that officials at the Permanent Secretary’s Office and the Ministry of Interior were unable to authenticate it.

Personal Certificates Allegedly Taken

Danso also alleged that immigration officers visited his residence after this year’s Koriteh celebrations to retrieve his uniform and other departmental property.

He said four of his personal certificates were taken during the visit despite his objections.

The former officer maintains that the certificates are his personal property and is demanding their return.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged removal of the certificates have not been independently verified.

Demanding an Independent Review

Danso is now calling for an independent examination of his employment history, including his transfers, salary records, disciplinary proceedings and dismissal.

He wants the authorities to determine why his salary was withheld, whether the disciplinary procedures followed in his case were lawful and whether his dismissal was properly authorised.

He is also seeking payment of any outstanding salary, benefits and other entitlements legally due to him.

“I have served the Immigration Department to the best of my ability,” he said in a written appeal.

Danso maintains that he is not seeking protection from legitimate disciplinary action, but wants the allegations against him examined through a fair and transparent process.

His case leaves several questions unanswered, particularly why his salary remained withheld for years, what became of the disciplinary allegations against him and why, according to his account, government officials were unable to authenticate his dismissal letter.

The Fatu Network has examined official correspondence relating to the allegations of absence from duty, Danso’s subsequent media appearance and his dismissal. However, these documents do not independently establish all the circumstances surrounding his salary stoppage or the disciplinary process.

TFN made attempts to obtain a response from the Gambia Immigration Department concerning Danso’s allegations but was unable to secure a comment before publication.