By Hajaratu Kalokoh
Almost four years since the brutal murder of a 17-year-old sex worker, Hannah Bockarie, the body of her close friend has also been found in a mangrove swamp along Lumley Beach with her throat slit.
Memunatu Jabbie , 24, had helped prosecute the accused in the killing of Hannah whose killing had sparked nationwide condemnation and a major protest march organized by women’s rights groups who demanded swift justice.
Memunatu also known as Shalitta, was last seen on Monday last week. Her remains were discovered on the following day abandoned along the beach. But her family became aware on Friday. A postmortem was carried out Tuesday and the body handed over to the family for burial yesterday.
The brother of the deceased, Abu Bakar Jabbie explained to Politico how the family received the news:
“On Friday I received a call from our father that our sister had been murdered by thugs and that the remains were at the mortuary. The police were unable to identify the corpse so they took it to the mortuary,” he said.
Her sister, Fatima said her sister always feared for her safety and had initially refused to testify in the murder trial.
This incident has once again brought to the fore the insecurity faced by sex workers. And it also exposes an apparent lack of police protection for witnesses.
The police have so far declined to comment on the matter or the allegations leveled against them.
© 2019 Politico Online
