By Prince J Musa in Kenema
Police at Family Support Unit in Kenema have arrested five people in connection with allegations of the rape of a 21-year-old woman. The breastfeeding mother of a two-month-old baby, who lost her husband recently, was allegedly raped in Deima section, Kenema District.
The four men and one woman suspects in custody are Alhaji Tarawally, Vandi Kamara, Mohamed Sandi, Kamoh Issa and his wife Tenneh Issa. A sixth suspect who is a male is said to be on the run, police have confirmed to Politico.
The alleged victim told Politico that she was on her way home on Tuesday 21 July when Kamoh Issa called her in his room and demanded that they have sex.
“I was on my way from Dauda Town, I had two chickens in my hand and Kamoh Issa asked if I owned them, to which I said ‘no’. He then called me inside his room and asked me to get sex with him, but I refused.”
She added that while weeping “he then told me that there were two options, either he gets sex with me or forcefully takes me outside and shout ‘Thief!’ at me.”
She said the incident occurred on Tuesday between 10:00 and 11:30am.
“I told him that my baby is young I can’t do that otherwise I would have done that instead of him accusing me of stealing. My baby is two months old. I pleaded with him to have mercy on me for the sake of God but he refused to listen to my plea,” she lamented.
“I lost my husband recently and my mother too is dead. I have nobody to help me”, she said in between sobs.
“Kamoh took me outside and tied me to a stick, undressed me and started cutting my hair. I was tied, he shouted thief at me and the boys – six of them – came and started to beat me” she went on.
She explained that the boys took her to a room after beating her and then raped her. She said whiles she was being raped Karmoh Issa’s wife, Tenneh, urged the boys to have sex with her roughly because she was a thief.
“I was rescued by one Hawa Kuyateh who took me to the police,” she added.
Madam Kuyateh told Politico that she met the woman naked with a huge crowd surrounding her whiles shouting, “Thief! Thief!”
She added: “Her situation was disgraceful so I took her to the Family Support Unit at the police station”.
Kuyateh also told Politico that she was now in constant fear for her safety because of threats she had bene receiving from the families of those arrested.
Police in the district say the matter will be swiftly investigated and sent for prosecution.
Mattia Hopanda Jusu, a gender activist in Kenema says sexual violence in the district has been on the rise. She calls on government to step up its effort by punishing perpetrators.
Copyright (c) 2020 Politico Online
