By Prince Musa in Kenema
A cookery seller in Kenema, Zainab Kamara died yesterday after a customer allegedly hit her with a stick as she tried to stop him from escaping after he had failed to pay her Le 2,000 (less than 30 US cents) being the cost of the food.
Police have arrested a suspect.
According to the police spokesman in Kenema, Constable Brima James Musa, Zainab was selling at her shop at the Cow Yard section when the suspect, Umaru Vandy Gbao showed up and asked to be served.
He said Zainab, in her early 30s, duly obliged but that Umaru failed to meet his own side of the bargain, and attempted to escape payment.
Zainab reportedly pursued him for her money leading to a bitter altercation between the two. Umaru, according to the police spokesman, hit her with a rock. As she bowed to pick up a rock to apparently retaliate, Umaru allegedly hit her in the spine with a stick.
She was taken to the Kenema Government Hospital where, according her brother-in-law, healthcare workers refused to respond to her, insisting that a police medical form must first be submitted.
The in-law, Eric Fofanah, said he pleaded with the healthcare workers saying they had had no time to report to the police yet as saving the woman’s life was more paramount.
Eric said the nurses would have none of that so he had to rush to the police station to make a report.
Once he got to the police, he went on, they would also not issue a medical form without first seeing the victim.
As Eric and the police went to the hospital, Zainab was pronounced dead.
A post mortem on Zainab’s remains shows she had sustained an injury to her spinal cord and suffered internal bleeding leading to her death.
Zainab’s body was later handed over to the family for burial while the suspect is in police custody for further investigations.
© Politico 12/07/16
