Sierra Leonean Minors Turned Into Sex Slaves In Dakar

On 9th November, Moussa Bah, Mohamed Kamara, Mercy Moses, and Faith Ibon Arikpo were brought before the public prosecutor in Thiès on charges of criminal conspiracy, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, procuring, and complicity in these offences.

Three days earlier, National Unit for the Fight against Trafficking in Persons (DNLT) was alerted to the existence of a large-scale network involved in the sexual exploitation of women and minors from Sierra Leone. Following the launch of an investigation, one of the victims was rescued and interviewed. She subsequently disclosed to the DNLT the details of the human trafficking and sexual exploitation, implicating Moussa Bah, Mohamed Kamara, and Mercy Moses—also known as “Amony.”

The victim stated that she was recruited from Sierra Leone by Moussa Bah and Mohamed Kamara, who promised her work in Senegal. Specifically, she was supposed to work at a hair salon owned by Mercy Moses, known as “Amony”, who is the wife of Moussa Bah. However, upon her arrival in Dakar, Mercy Moses forced her into prostitution, requiring her to hand over between 50,000 and 55,000 CFA francs at the end of each night.

This information led to the arrest of Moussa Bah, Mohamed Kamara, Mercy Moses, and Faith Ibon Arikpo at their apartment in a village located 50 KM on the main road toward Thiès. Two other victims from Sierra Leone were found in the apartment during the operation; they, too, were being subjected to sexual exploitation, just as the first victim had been.

When questioned first, Moussa Bah admitted to recruiting the first victim from Sierra Leone, in complicity with his friend Mohamed Kamara and at the request of his wife, Mercy Moses. He claimed though without providing any convincing evidence that it was his wife who had housed the other two victims, while asserting that he was unaware of the reasons for their presence in the apartment. When questioned in turn, Mohamed Kamara confirmed that he had participated in the recruitment of the first victim at the request of his friend Moussa Bah, who had led him to believe that the woman was to work as a hairdresser in the salon owned by Bah’s wife, Mercy Moses.

When questioned about the statements made by the victims, Mercy Moses refuted all the accusations brought against her. Seeking to evade responsibility, she claimed that she had enlisted the help of her husband, Moussa, to recruit young women from Sierra Leone who wished to come to Senegal to work in the hairdressing industry. She adamantly maintained that the first victim, upon her arrival, lacked experience in modern hairdressing techniques. She further claimed that she decided to keep the young woman in order to teach her the trade.

The final person to be questioned was Faith Ibon Arikpo, who stated that she was the sister of Moussa Bah’s wife. After initially attempting to deny that she was a prostitute, she eventually admitted to being a sex worker, while alleging that she was being exploited by her supposed sister. When asked about Mercy Moses’s illicit and criminal activities regarding the sexual exploitation of the three victims, she unequivocally corroborated the victims’ accounts.

Senenews