GBARNGA, Bong – The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, Bong has sentenced the 29-year-old Amos Molon to 50 years in prison for killing Satta Binda, 17, in Gbartala, Bong.

Binda was raped, murdered, and her body dumped in a backyard in Gbartala in the early hours of September 15, 2018.

Following several months of investigation into Binda’s death, Molon, a resident of Gbartala, was arrested after the results of a DNA test conducted on vaginal swabs from the victim, in addition to specimens from the crime scene, linked him to the acts.

“Wherefore, and in view of the foregoing, defendant Amos Molon is adjudged guilty of the commission of the crimes of murder and rape and is hereby sentenced to jail for a period of 50 calendar years,” the court’s verdict read.

Women’s rights advocates and ordinary citizens in Bong have hailed the court’s decision and termed Molon’s guilty verdict and sentencing as a win for the rule of law and a deterrent to would-be murderers.

“Even though it doesn’t make up for Satta Binda’s life that was taken untimely and for a senseless reason, I feel relieved that Amos Molon was finally sentenced to 50 years for killing Satta,” Zenabia Tiangeh Taylor told The Bush Chicken on Friday in Gbarnga.

Taylor is the founder and executive director of Impact Girls, an organization that promotes gender equality for rural women and mentors adolescent girls.

Zenabia Tiangeh Taylor, founder of Impact Girls. Photo: Joshua Cleon.

She is calling on Bong authorities and the national government to take concrete steps to end violence against women and girls in Bong.

“No one deserves to die. We hope that Amos will serve his 50 years as he duly deserves,” Taylor said. “I am glad that justice has been served to Amos, and we hope that our local authorities can work effectively with our communities to prevent the high rate of deaths of women and girls in Bong County.”

Following the incident, police arrested two persons: Josephine Solunteh, 24, and Clarence Davis, 24, as primary suspects.

The two were detained at the Gbarnga Central Prison as the investigation continued in the killing of the teenager.

Solunteh and Davis were released from prison in August this year on the orders of the circuit court after the DNA results proved that Molon committed the crimes.

Throughout the investigation, public pressure heightened on the police and the court for what was perceived to be a delay of the case. The deceased’s family members, friends, as well as some community dwellers threatened demonstrations, accusing the police and the court in the county of compromising the case.

In response, Bong’s superintendent of police, Frederick Nepay, wants the public to refrain from making sentimental statements and getting involved with acts that undermine criminal investigations.

“The public should allow the police to do its job and stop tampering with criminal matters when those matters are being investigated. They should always allow us [to] do our portion of the job,” Nepay told The Bush Chicken in Gbarnga, following the verdict.

Binda’s case is one of many other murder cases that have occurred in Bong in recent years.

Angeline Kolleh, 29, Dorris Nyan, 29, Hawa Gbokolo, and Babygirl Cooper, 39, have all been murdered under different circumstances in Bong.

Perpetrators of some of these murder cases have been prosecuted and are serving jail terms, while in some cases, the perpetrators remain unknown.

Featured photo by Patrick Sandolo