Wa residents condemn flogged lovers over sex tape

Some residents in the Wa municipality have condemned two lovebirds over their sex tape which found its way onto social media last week.

According to them, the two individuals – Meira and Adnan (not their real names) – deserve what they got when they were publicly flogged on the order of chiefs at the Wa-Naa’s palace.

The residents who have been taking issue with aspects of Media General’s coverage of the incident and the aftermath want the focus to be on the moral code breached by the two and not offering the victims a hearing.

Gender and rights groups have described the flogging incident as archaic and backward as well as an abuse of the rights of the two.

Executive Director of Songtaba Lamnatu Adam told 3news.com when the videos went viral, “it is unacceptable in this day and age for people to be treating their fellow humans this way. There are many of these people who rape and defile young girls, marry children and all sorts of morally unacceptable acts, yet nobody takes issue with them.”

“Is it because theirs is out there they should be treated this way? “she asked.

She urged the police to arrest and prosecute the persons captured in the video flogging the two individuals.

But that position has been dismissed by the residents who say the act was in line with local laws put in place to check the rising cases of indecent exposure, publication of obscene material and the practice of LGBTQ+ activities.

One ticketing and revenue collection officer at the Wa station where the lady victim worked before the sex video leak described it as unacceptable.

“I saw the video of what they were doing which is bad. That is why they were flogged and since then she has not been to work,” Osman told TV3.

Another resident noted, “The youth of today are obsessed with social media to the extent that they post anything at all there. That is the cause of all this.”

For some, the two individuals should not be treated as victims.

“Even though there is no clear fact about how the video leaked, it does not absolve the two individuals of blame. They knew the laws and so they must be treated like people who broke the law,” Fati Alhassan maintained.

This position is supported by Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo.

“We cannot encourage this behaviour of the youth to be engaging in acts that derail the morality of society. What future would we be building for the young ones if this continues?” he quizzed.

Three people were arrested in connection with the flogging incident, which sparked spontaneous riots by the angry youth who besieged the police station to demand the release of the three.

Eighteen of them were arrested for destruction of public property during the protest and put before court.

source: 3news