The military command in Tamale has begun investigations into a rape charge leveled against one of its officers overseeing the curfew in Bimbila, the Nanumba North Municipal capital of the Northern Region.
The officer, only identified as Paa Kwesi, was accused of raping a 16 year old JHS two student as the girl and her colleagues were having a night preps at their school, two weeks ago.
The girl suffered virginal complications after the incident and went under series of treatment at the Bimbila Government Hospital. She was withdrawn from school to heal and has since resumed four days.
“I and my colleagues we to preps, and If we go to prep we are closing 9.30pm. So, 9.30pm was over and I my colleagues we were going home and someone went to buy water and some of my colleagues got up and saw the soldier and said that the soldiers are coming, run. So I went and hid some place, my colleagues called to see where I was hiding; they called me and the phone belled and the soldier saw me”, the victim said in the interview.
She continued: “And he held me and send me to Hilo Junior High School and he asked me that what am going to do for him, and I said nothing, he said if it is nothing then he would send me to police then they will beat me and lock me, and I please forgive me if you want I can call my father and he said know that shouldn’t call my father then he took the phone, and he said that he want to rape me and I said no and he forced me and sleep with me”, she added.”
The municipal police reported the incident to the military command in the region seeking permission to initiate full investigations. Municipal Crime Officer, ASP Ebenezer Pepprah said the Criminal Investigation Department at the regional level has taken over the case.
Since the accused soldier is still in active service, the military would have to conduct separate investigations to conclude whether or not to release the soldier to the civilian police for prosecution.
But military authorities at the command had been closemouthed on the allegations and claimed they were waiting for official report only from the police.
However, Starr News can now confirm that the Regional High Command has now opened independent investigations on the matter.
On Friday, November 17, three military police investigators were sent to Bimbila to begin ground investigations. The investigators arrived in the town with cameras and notepads, spoke to the victim and her parents and took photographs of the crime scenes.
The police and a parent of the victim have confirmed the presence of the military investigators. Crime Officer, ASP Ebenezer Pepprah told Starr News that because the matter had been moved to the Regional level, the officers couldn’t interact with the local police.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
