By Abdulrahman Kamara
Reports reaching this press from the slum area of Freetown revealed that a young man, Fuard Ibrahim Bangura of #1 Malamah Thomas Street in the outskirts of central Freetown, narrowly escaped death in the hands of angry youths and members of the community, after being caught red-handed having sex with his fellow man, after a visit to his friend house one Hassan Kamara living at 13 Mill Street in Eastern Freetown, a taboo and an illegal act in the country.
According to sources, on 29th May 2018, both young men have been seen regularly together, and were believed to be football fans of the same football club in Freetown. Fuard have been a regular visitor to Hassan house, both were not suspected to be gay, as the practice is illegal in the country and a taboo by both religious faiths in the country. Thus their close relationship brought no suspicion until they were caught in the act on 29th May 2018.
According to eye witness report, both young men were busy having sex in an unlocked room, and when the sister of Hassan (Zainab) came to the room to collect her phone that was on charge, she was shocked at what she saw and screamed, which brought family members and neighbours rushing into the house. To their surprise, both men were caught with pants down, naked. The angry youths who had come to enquire the reason for her cry, then pounced upon both youths, beating them mercilessly.
His partner, Fuard Ibrahim Bangura, Hassan was taken out of the house beaten unconsciously with stones and sticks by the community youths as they said they will set example on their children and ready to set fire on Fuard who is the visitor, However, news filtered in to those who were busy teaching Hassan a lesson that his partner had died from the heavy beating he had received from the growing crowd outside the house.
As they too went to verify the news, Fuard quietly sneaked out of the house through the window, chased by some of the angry youths. It was further disclosed that the youths pursued him till he disappeared from their sight under a dilapidated bridge and has since not been seen.
Members of the community are said to have visited the Malamah Thomas Street residence of Fuard Ibrahim Bangura on several occasions that day and through the night, in search of him, but were unable to find him, and since then they have mounted a hunt for him, as the said act in which they were caught is described by both religious faiths as satanic and should not be encouraged in the country, and the government has had little interest in defending or protecting such suspects, as it is described as illegal, and any encouragement of the perpetrator may lead to its spread and desecration of the sacred views of the citizenry.
As we go to press, the whereabouts of Fuard Ibrahim is still unknown and hunt for him is still on-going. It could be recalled that the practice of same sex is a forbidden act in the eyes of the public, and illegal in the country’s laws. Gay is also described as satanic by both religious faiths in Sierra Leone.
