Amina Mohammed, the woman at the centre of the alleged mass rape of passengers on a Tamale bound Yutong bus, has revealed that her husband’s family insisted on him divorcing because her claim had disgraced the ruling NDC party of which they were ardent supporters.
Speaking a day after an Accra High Court struck out the State’s charges of causing fear and panic and deceit of public officer against her, the 26-year-old mother of three told Adakabre Frimpong Manso, host of Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem Morning Show on Tuesday that she was also driven out of her family home, together with her 53-year-old mother, by members of her own family over the same issue.
Amina Mohammed was arrested in October 2010 after she made startling revelations that armed robbers had attacked a Tamale bound Yutong bus on which she and her mother were passengers at Kubease in the Ejisu district of the Ashanti Region and ordered the male passengers to rape their female counterparts, including a father who was made to rape his 14-year-old daughter.
When the story hit the airwaves and print media, she was vilified both by government officials and even members of the public.
The police charged her after investigations, claiming the said rape never occurred although there was a robbery incident and she pleaded not guilty.
However, almost two years on, an Accra High Court judge upheld an application of ‘No Case’ brought by lawyers for Amina resulting in her being acquitted and discharged.
According to the judge, the prosecution failed to adduce any evidence to support the charge of causing fear and panic it leveled against the accused.
An elated Amina told Adakabre that it had not been an easy two years since her revelation on Adom FM on October 11. She said not only did her husband divorce her but he came for two of their three children and has since then refused to cater for her and the third child.
Members of her community also accused her among others, of being an armed robber, prostitute, a mad woman and a political turn coat who had been given GH¢ 10,000 by some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party to fabricate the story and create disaffection for the ruling party, she revealed.
Amina also strongly maintained that her story was not instigated by staff of Adom FM, explaining that the first time she came to the Tema-based radio station was when a friend she confided in advised her to do so.
Ursula Owusu, a lawyer and advocate for women’s rights, commended Adom FM for highlighting such social issues, saying “you are doing real public service. All those lambasting you should rather consider the merits of what you are doing rather than the perception that you are out to cause mischief.”