She explained that the deceased had on several occasions complained to her that her husband had been threatening her life, especially when they had altercations, but that this last time, the husband told the deceased to leave the house or face the consequences.
She maintained that the deceased had also told her that the husband requested that on her leaving the house, she should leave their two children behind.
With her advice and that of other family members, the late Kadija took the matter to the police and on that fateful day, the Family Support Unit at the station, on discovering that both kids were under 7 years, told Dr. Fillie, who was also invited to the station that he could not have custody of the children as they were under the age limit permissible by law to be placed in his custody. Dr. Fillie is said to have left the station in anger.
On her way back home from the police station and dropping off from a commercial vehicle at Furniture Junction along the main highway from Freetown to Waterloo, the deceased according to Haja Kadijatu Jalloh, noticed her husband’s vehicle parked some distance away while she was informing some people standing around her about what transpired at the police station.
It was at this juncture that eye witnesses say all of a sudden, Dr. Fillie deliberately drove his vehicle at top speed straight onto the deceased, hitting and riding over her. He then drove off from the scene but was chased by some okada riders who had witnessed the whole drama. He was caught and handed over to the police, where he is helping them in their investigations.
Haja Kadija Jalloh went on to explain that while at the Emergency Hospital where the deceased was rushed to, she was told by one of the foreign doctors that examined her that the deceased (then struggling on life support system) had broken ribs, fractured skull and broken leg, as a result of the accident.
In the course of this investigation, the Police Media boss, Superintendent. Brima Kamara when contacted confirmed that the suspect is in police custody at the CID headquarters helping detectives with their investigations and that the police will inform the public about the conclusion of their investigation.
However, human right activists have said that the government should come down hard on perpetrators of domestic violence, as it is the absence of stiff action that has led to such an ugly situation.
Samuel Barnes of Inspiration Life Line, a civil society organization dealing with female issues, said that he is aggrieved by the level of violence against women and is calling for the treatment of women with respect.
He also stated that they were in a meeting dealing with women’s issues when news about the alleged killing of Kadija broke and that his presence at the protest is to show solidarity with the women demanding justice for Kadija and to encourage the government to take strict action to deal with perpetrators of all sorts of violence against women.
Mamadu Wurie Balde, brother of the deceased, staying at Allen Town was full of grief and could not speak with the media, but referred this press to their lawyer, Alpha Bah Esq. who was in the process of filing papers on domestic violence on behalf of his sister when the incident occurred.
Madam Konima Borbor Kamara, Women’s Right activist, said she has been following the news on radio and television and is concerned about violence against women and that as member of Women’s Forum, they are agitating against such violation of women’s rights.
