By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo.
The family of Edmond Alpha, who was allegedly murdered in Batiyaima Layout in Bo, southern Sierra Leone, has called for speedy investigation and justice on the matter.
Alpha’s body was discovered in a toilet pit on the 14th of August this year. His family believe that he was beaten and killed before been dumped in the abandoned toilet pit, after he was allegedly chased and shouted at as a thief at by the husband of one Mrs. Mamie Tamaeko.
According to the family, Alpha was in an intimate relationship with Mrs Tamaeko and he had gone to see her unaware that her husband was around. The family believes that Mr Tamaeko might have deliberately shouted thief at him so that he could be beaten.
Anita Alpha, younger sister to the deceased, told Politico that the family was disappointed in the way the matter was being handled by the police.
“On the 14th of August, 2020, I and my family were listening to Pastor Mambu's prayer at night while Edmond Alpha, my brother, decided to go out. I stopped him not to go and threatened to inform our mother. So he gave me Le5, 000 to buy food in the morning," she said.
She went on to explain that an unknown person later came looking out for his brother, Edmond in the morning and that later their mother realized that he was yet to do the house work he used to do. That was when, she explained, their mother asked her to go in search of him.
“I was asking people who were gathered in the community but each time I asked people, they will move away from me without telling me why. I started hearing rumors that someone had died in a toilet pit and we later found my brother in an abandoned toilet,” she explained.
Anita went on to explain that his late brother’s love relationship with Mamie Tamaeko was almost an open secret, as the woman always came to pay them visit at their home. She said his late brother also did same to Mamie when the husband was away.
Anita said she learnt that his brother went to Mamie that night and knocked at her window, but that unfortunately for him, her husband was there and he shouted “thief”.
Dorcas Kanu, an aunt of the deceased, lamented that the process of investigation had been very slow in the matter. She explained that on the 26th of August, the postmortem result was out and a family member who is a medical practitioner, Sahr Somboh, represented the family and told them that the result showed that their son died of beaten and strangulation.
Madam Kanu added that the police invited the owner of the abandoned toilet, alongside Mamie Taemoko and her husband Morie Teamoko. She said they were all arrested but were later released.
Kanu added that both Morie Teamoko and his wife, Mamie Taemoko, have since left the community and were nowhere to be seen.
Regional Police Media and Public Relations Officer Southern Region, Mohamed Bobson Senu, told Politico that the matter was under investigation and he couldn’t comment further.
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