By Alhaji Turay
In a press release issued by the Sierra Leone Police on 19th July,2024 announcing the arrest of Balla Marrah of New England Ville Freetown Sierra Leone for practicing a gay have attracted many citizens going in search of Balla Marrah as Majority of Sierra Leoneans are against the crime. On the 15th July the LGBT in Sierra Leone organized a party in New England Ville were Balla was staying and the police got an intelligence that LGBT people were having a party.
The police instituted a search warrant and they were able to apprehended Balla Marrah and his partner. They were attacked by the New England Ville police officers and severely beaten and taken to the police station for questioning. Fortunately Balla Marrah escaped from the police custody after some days.
The increasing reports of isolated physical attacks on persons found to be gay seem to have no end in sight as the recent case of Balla Marrah indicates. According to reliable source from Thomas of New England Ville Freetown , he narrated by identifying Balla as one of his best friend since that were early teenagers until he finally catch him having sex with his male partner.
Whiles explaining to the media Balla noted that when he visited Kandeh in search of Balla Marrah in the afternoon hour of 1:00pm in July ,2024 he open the door and he could not bear the shock of what he had seen. Therefore he decided to punch Balla on his face and reported the matter to the community Chief.
Responding to the incident in disappointing mood the Chief Imam in the community says that the acts is not allow in the country and from religious perspective anyone involved in that practice must be kill.
Media investigation prove that during a door to door headhunt for Balla Marrah, youth and angry community members ransacked Balla Marrah house in Freetown and that of his mother place, leaving all his belonging and those of his mother property all stolen .Since then no one knows the whereabouts of Balla but it is believed that both the police and that of the community members are still angrily hunting him.
According to Sierra Leone laws lesbians and gay acts are totally discouraged and disallowed. The Sierra Leone constitution state that anyone caught in the practice must face a sentence of life imprisonment with hard labor.