By Abdulrahman Kamara
According to reports from the Northern town of Makeni, a young man, believed to be Gay and going by the name of John Sorieba kanu, is reported to have escaped from the hands of police whilst being admitted at the Makeni government hospital.
According to our source, the young gay man was caught in sexual act with a fellow male at the residence of his uncle in Makeni, and through the alarm raised by the step mother, who caught them, the young man is said to have been mercilessly beaten by youths and other residents in the community and later taken to the police.
During our investigation, the police confirmed that the suspect was brought in a semi-conscious state, and had to be rushed to the hospital on the advice of their boss. It was also disclosed that two police officers were stationed at the hospital to guard him.
According to Hospital sources, the patient was brought into the facility by the police and two were left by his bedside to ensure that he does not escape. It was also disclosed that during his stay at the facility, his every move was monitored by the police, even when he goes to the toilet or bathroom. They further stated that over the days, as trust between the patient and the police officers grew, he was allowed to go to the bathroom or toilet without escort.
It was further revealed that on one occasion, whilst the patient went to the bathroom, he is alleged to have escaped through a window in the bathroom and made good his escape, a situation they knew later after an alarm was raised by the two police guards at the hospital.
Speaking to residents in the area, it was disclosed that John Skanu had lost both parents and siblings during the Ebola scourge and had to be relocated from his village of Magaingba to Makeni Town to live with his Uncle, Papanie kanu. It was further disclosed that Papanie kanu is the brother of his late father, and that he took both John and his Step Mother, Adama Sesay, his father’s second wife, who was lucky to survive the Ebola, into his home at 10 Lower John Street, Makeni.
According to the residents, John Sorieba kanu was caught red-handed having sex with one James Brown on 9th March 2019, someone that he was frequently seen with and believed to be mere friends. They said that the Step Mother had accidentally bumped into the room to collect her phone which was on charge, when she met both men naked, having sex. She is said to have raised an alarm and family members and residents in the area ran into the house. John’s partner, James Brown, is said to have escaped through a window in the room, leaving John at the mercy of the crowd who had thronged into the room.
Other sources say that John was mercilessly beaten and went unconscious, and was only taken to the police where he is said to have regained consciousness.
According to a close confidant of John, he is of the opinion that John may have escaped due to the statement of the Officer in Charge at the police station, who when John was being taken to the hospital said that he will be returned to face the law and will spend his entire life in prison, as the offence committed is either the death penalty or life imprisonment, if the Judge so decides.
Family sources say that the police have on several occasions, since the escape of John Sorieba kanu from their custody, visited and raided the area in search of him, and had warned residents not to harbour him.
In Sierra Leone, Homosexuality and LGB are forbidden by the state as well as by both religious faiths in the country, and people caught in the act are sentenced to death or life imprisonment, that is if they survive the wrath of the communities where they live.
Residents in the country see such acts as sacrilegious and satanic and should be eradicated from society. Thus, the suspects are often left in the hands of communities, who often ensure that they disappear. In the event the police come in the suspects are charged to Court, where they are given the capital punishment.
As we go to press, the whereabouts of John Sorieba kanu is yet unknown and a bounty has been put on his head for his capture.
