A military soldier is being investigated for the suspected rape of an 18-year-old female on Monday, September 2, 2024, at the Siim Lina Guest House in Soe, a neighbourhood of the Bolgatanga Municipality.
Concerns regarding the behaviour of security staff have also been highlighted by the occurrence, which has incited outrage in the community.
The victim (name withheld) stated that the soldier checked in at the guest home at approximately nine in the morning. He started showing her romantic interest shortly after, but she turned him down.
The soldier persisted in harassing her in spite of her blatant denial; he even followed her outside the building when she fled to avoid him.
“He said he loves me and wants to marry me. So, I said I was not interested. He was following me, asking me questions that if somebody wants to wound me what I will do [because] no one is here. So, I told him that I would leave the fellow to God,”
She told the story.
The victim said that later on, a lady who she believes to be the soldier’s girlfriend rode up on a tricycle to the guest home. But the woman was only here for a short while since she quickly fled the property.
The victim gave a terrifying tale of how things got worse when the wife left. She claimed that the soldier had threatened to stab her with a pair of scissors if she refused to comply with his demands for sex.
The woman, who had only been working at the guest house for four days, grudgingly complied with his requests out of fear for her safety, and the soldier is accused of sexually assaulting her. The soldier allegedly used his phone to snap photos of her following the attack.
“Immediately I picked a bucket to water trees, he held my hair and pulled me and removed scissors and said if I joke, he will wound me here. So, I was sitting down quietly but he held my hair, pulled me to the other room, and rapped me. When he finished, he snapped my pictures. I was quiet and afraid because nobody was around,”
She told the story.
The frightened victim wants the proper authorities to pursue legal action against the suspect.
Paulina Adongo, the guest home owner, verified the occurrence and said that after the victim raised an alert, concerned neighbours arrested the soldier.
After then, military personnel from the Abilba Barracks were summoned to the spot and arrested the suspected rapist.
The horrific deed has shocked the neighbourhood and sparked demands for a comprehensive inquiry.
The military has not yet released a formal statement on the situation, but according to sources, an investigation has been launched to determine the facts and the necessary actions that have been taken.
