By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, June 14, GNA – The police have arrested four suspects at Kopella in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region in connection with a viral video in which a woman was stripped naked and subjected to some dehumanizing acts.
The suspects, Awizore Amolt, Akolbila Asorwogo, Atibila Aladago and Ben Akolbila were arrested in an intelligent led operation in the early hours of Tuesday, June 13, 2023, and currently in police custody assisting investigation.
The police in a Facebook post indicated that efforts had been intensified to arrest the rest of the suspects.
In about two minute-video circulating on social media platforms, a woman believed to be of Fulbe extraction, was seen naked with only her brassier on and was compelled to expose her private parts to the public.
Three people were seen in the video forcibly opening her legs and exposing her genitalia.
She fell to the ground and her perpetrators pounced on her until blood was seen oozing out and she was asked to run.
The incident is believed to have happened at Kopella, a suburb of Zebilla in retaliation to an alleged rape of a resident of the area by a Fulani herdsman.
The woman who was visibly pregnant was alleged to have been accosted by the suspected herdsman who raped and inflicted wounds on her.
The situation infuriated some residents of the community who initially chased the Fulanis out of the area and burnt about 15 of their houses, before allegedly subjecting the suspected Fulani woman to the degrading practice seen in the viral video.
Mr Joel Akugri Agbandaa, the Assemblyman for the Kopella Electoral Area explained that the Fulanis had been accused of raping and threatening women in the area especially anytime they went in search of shea nuts.
“On May 31, 2023, I was informed about the incident that a woman who had gone to the bush to search for shea nuts was raped by a suspected Fulani. According to
the woman when she resisted him, he used a knife and cut parts of her body until she gave in,” he said.
He said the incident was reported to the police in Binaba who advised them to take a medical form at the Zebilla Police Station to access medical care at the Zebilla District Hospital while they launched investigation into the matter.
The victim was confirmed to be 19 weeks, three days pregnant (as of May 31, 2023) and on the same day some youth of the area allegedly attacked the Fulanis and burnt their houses.
Mr Issahaku Tahiru Ahmed, the District Chief Executive for the Bawku West District, condemned the action of the youth for attacking the Fulanis and the alleged video of the woman stripped naked.
He said he could not link the video to the alleged rape of the pregnant woman and the attack on the Fulani community in the area and advised all to remain calm while the police concluded investigations.
He said the District Security Council had already engaged the stakeholders including the chiefs and opinion leaders in the area to resolve the impasse between the community and Fulanis.
GNA