Families cry for justice for defiled girls

Families of four girls defiled at gunpoint at a community in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region have called on the police to work to ensure justice for their children.

Three of the girls are 14 years old, whiles the other is 13 years old. They all reside at Mbanayili, a community in the Kumbungu District.

They were defiled on March 06, 2018, in a bush at Nwaring, a community in the Sagnarigu Municipality, by suspect Shaibu Shamiku, alias Alizini, and aged 20.

The girls went to the bush to fetch firewood when the incident happened.

The suspect allegedly threatened the girls with a gun, stripped them naked and had sex with three of them, and when he could not erect again, he inserted his fingers into the private part of the fourth girl.

A medical examination at the Tamale Teaching Hospital confirmed sexual intercourse with the girls following which the police arrested the suspect on March 07 and granted him bail after two days.

Mr Yussif Naporo Saeed, Assembly Member for Nwogu Electoral Area, who briefed the GNA on behalf of the families of the victims at Mbanayili, said the delay in arraigning the suspect before court was a source of worry to the families of the victims.

Mr Saeed pleaded with the police to fast-track the prosecution of the case to ensure justice for the girls.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Horlortu, Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service told the Ghana News Agency in Tamale that the suspect was charged with defilement, indecent assault and threat of harm.

DSP Horlortu said he was studying the docket and would soon refer it to the court unit of the Regional Police Command for prosecution.