The vice president and secretary general of the Gambian Association in Istanbul, Turkey, have both been arrested and currently under detention.

Ya Kombeh Gaye, the assistant secretary general of the Association, has reliably informed this medium that Tijan Sissoho and Bakary Ceesay, who are the vice president and secretary respectively of the Association, have been in custody for more than a month now.

"It is very unfortunate to inform you that our Vice President Tijan Sissoho and Secretary General Bakary Ceesay have been detained by the Istanbul police and have now spent more than a month under detention. We did everything in our powers but still we cannot secure their release from the hands of the Turkish Police," Ya Kombeh said.

She disclosed further that their main concern at the moment is that they don't have access to the duo to be able to ascertain its conditions or situations.

"The situation of Gambians in Istanbul and many places in Turkey is not ideal, because anytime one can be arrested, detained or even deported from the country," she added.

Meanwhile, she also added that they have tried to reach out to the embassy but there is still no response from them. She blasted the Gambian embassy as she revealed that they are not in any way attending to Gambians and their needs as mandated upon them.

Madam Ya Kombeh Gaye also expressed her fears for the deportation of the duo back to The Gambia if the embassy fails to intervene for their release, adding that dozens of Gambians are equally under detention at diverse cities in Turkey and risk similar fate.