By Muctarr Jal
A tragic case of violent intolerance unfolded in the Fourah Bay community, where a married couple, Abdulai Kabba and his wife, Khadijatu Koroma, were brutally beaten and left for dead after their neighbors discovered that they are both bisexual. The attack, which nearly cost them their lives, exposes the deep-seated bigotry that continues to thrive in Sierra Leone, where members of the LGBTQ+ community face relentless persecution.
Reports indicate that Abdulai Kabba, a resident of 172 Fourah Bay Road, and his wife, Khadijatu, had kept their sexual identities private for years. Despite their respective attractions to the same gender, they had chosen to maintain their marriage, supporting and respecting each other’s choices. However, their private lives became public knowledge when rumors began circulating in the community, leading to an eruption of violence that could have ended in tragedy.
One evening, as darkness settled over Fourah Bay, the couple’s worst nightmare became reality. A furious mob, fueled by religious and cultural hatred, gathered outside their home, chanting threats and demanding that they be dragged out. Without warning, their door was kicked open, and within seconds, the couple was overpowered, forced outside, and thrown into the streets like criminals.
“They are demons! We must deal with them!” one attacker screamed, as Abdulai and Khadijatu were beaten mercilessly. Stones, sticks, and fists rained down on them. Their cries for mercy were drowned out by the angry crowd, who saw their pain as justice.
“They were completely at the mercy of the mob,” a terrified neighbor who witnessed the scene recalled. “People were laughing as they kicked and punched them. Others were saying they must be burned alive.”
Both Abdulai and Khadijatu lost consciousness at one point, lying bloodied and lifeless on the ground. The attack would have surely ended in their deaths had some sympathetic neighbors not secretly pulled them to safety under the cover of night.
Even after escaping with their lives, the nightmare for Abdulai and Khadijatu has only worsened. They cannot return home—because home no longer exists for them. Their landlord, bowing to the pressure of the community, has already ordered their eviction.
The terror has also spread to their family members. Abdulai’s elderly mother has been harassed by neighbors and called a disgrace for “raising a son of shame.” Khadijatu’s younger brother has been threatened by gangs who promise to deal with him if he is ever seen defending his sister. Abdulai’s siblings, once respected members of the community, are now social outcasts, unable to walk freely without being taunted and warned to disown him or face violence themselves.
Their family house has become a danger zone, vandalized multiple times by angry youths, who have vowed to burn it down if Abdulai or Khadijatu ever return. Even those suspected of sympathizing with them are now under scrutiny, with some locals warning that anyone who helps them will be seen as “one of them.”
As if the brutal attack and persecution weren’t enough, both Abdulai and Khadijatu have now been disowned by their families, who refuse to associate with them due to the shame brought upon them. Their parents have publicly distanced themselves, making it clear that neither of them is welcome back home. This has left the couple completely alone, with no support system, no safe place to hide, and no means of rebuilding their lives.
Following their escape, the community took matters into their own hands by reporting them to the police. Claiming that Abdulai and Khadijatu were a “threat to moral values,” multiple residents filed complaints, demanding that the authorities take action. The police, responding to the pressure, went to their residence intending to invite them for questioning, but by the time officers arrived, the couple was nowhere to be found.
Unable to locate them, the police issued an official statement declaring Abdulai and Khadijatu wanted, accusing them of engaging in “immoral acts” and fleeing from justice. Flyers with their names and photos have circulated in the community, with authorities urging the public to report any information on their whereabouts.
Now, the same people who brutally attacked them are working with law enforcement to ensure that if they are found, they face consequences far worse than what they have already endured. Their attackers roam freely, boasting of their actions, while Abdulai and Khadijatu remain in hiding, struggling to find food and medical care.
To make matters worse, Abdulai has lost his job, his employer unwilling to be associated with him.
Now, with nowhere to turn, no justice, and a city that wants them dead, Abdulai and Khadijatu are living in constant fear, knowing that if they are ever found, their fate is sealed. Their only crime was being different, and for that, their own people have sentenced them to a lifetime of suffering.
Their survival now depends on one thing—whether they can escape Sierra Leone before it’s too late.