Child Rights activist, Bright Appiah, has called for quick action against the military man at the centre of an alleged rape case at Bimbilla in the Northern Region.
A sixteen (16) year old girl of the Tonaa Junior High was allegedly raped at prep time. The incident reportedly happened at the Tonaa Junior High school, an all-girls school.
In a Citi News interview monitored by Prime News Ghana, the victim said the military man dragged her around 9 pm to a classroom block and forcefully had sex with her.Medical reports reveal that there was some penetration.
Meanwhile, the Police are having a difficult time with their investigations as they are required to secure a release of the accused from the military command.
Mr. Bright Appiah told Citi News monitored by Prime News Ghana the interest of the girl must be protected.
“We need to encourage our young people to report matters of this nature, so that a system can be there to assist them, issues of sexual abuse, defilement, and rape cases are cases that go beyond parents to decide whether they want to pursue or not, so the authority must quickly step in to ensure that they do what they are supposed to do to protect the interest of the girl,†he said.
Major stakeholders in education, security and law enforcement have been called by the Nanumba Youth Association to ensure that justice is served in the case.
Speaking to Citi News the National President of Nanumba Youth Association Dr Hafiz Adam, who called for thorough investigations and sanctions, said the lack of punishment for some military officers who have in the past committed criminal offences have emboldened them to perpetuate more of such crimes.
He further called on the president and the ministry of Interior to as a matter of urgency lift the curfew on Bimbilla because it has outlived its usefulness.
READ MORE: Bimbilla N/ R: Military officer allegedly rapes 16 year old
“This is a sixteen-year-old girl who was trying to escape arrest during the curfew hours, and the information we have is that she was arrested by one of the military guys who eventually raped her. For us, since we have this information we are working behind the scenes to make sure justice is served, so I call on the interior minister to make sure that this matter doesn’t end till we get to the bottom of the matter,†he said.
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