By Sulaiman Jalloh
The Parliament of Sierra Leone, through its Committee on Gender and Children’s Affairs chaired by Hon. Catherine Zainab Tarawallie of the All People’s Congress (APC), representing Bombali District, on 26 June 2025, has ordered the detention of two brothers Moses Gbapi and Jimmy Gbapi over their alleged involvement in the illegal adoption of a two-year-old girl.
The dramatic order followed a heartbreaking testimony from Huliamatu Bah, mother of 2-year, 4-month-old Jamestina Sowa, who claimed her daughter was deceptively taken under false pretenses. Bah alleged that the brothers manipulated her into handing over her child, under the guise of enrolling her in a child support program in Freetown for young mothers.
Bah, visibly emotional during the hearing, recounted how she was convinced by Moses Gbapi, a resident of Mosongo Village in Kori Chiefdom, to travel to Freetown with Jimmy Gbapi. She was told she would receive assistance to care for her child and would be allowed to visit her daughter regularly. Upon arrival, she was taken to an office supposedly linked to the program and asked to sign a document she hadn’t read. The document had already been signed by one of the brothers.
According to Bah, her daughter was then handed over to a woman named Emma Banya, who was introduced as the program coordinator. However, when she later attempted to visit her daughter bringing along fruits she was denied access. She was told by Jimmy Gbapi that she could no longer see the child and was instructed to contact him before making any further visits. Shockingly, he allegedly told her that the child “no longer belonged to her.”
Alarmed and distraught, Bah reported the matter to her sister, a police officer at Waterloo Police Station. However, she claimed that the police failed to treat the issue with the urgency it warranted. She then turned to Parliament for help.
During the hearing, Chief Moses Gbapi admitted discussing a childcare program believed to be an orphanage with Bah but denied orchestrating any adoption. He further claimed to have had a past relationship with Bah and alleged that Jamestina was his biological daughter an assertion Bah strongly denied.
Hon. Catherine Tarawallie, Chairperson of the Committee, has requested the child’s birth certificate and other supporting documents for verification. Representatives from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and the program in question were also summoned to appear before the Committee.
Following hours of questioning, the Committee concluded that the brothers had conspired to traffic the child out of Sierra Leone under the guise of adoption. Their immediate detention was ordered, underscoring the gravity of the case.
Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, emphasized the importance of protecting vulnerable children and urged the Committee to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure that justice is served.
Preliminary findings now suggest that little Jamestina Sowa may have already been taken out of the country an alarming development that has intensified the urgency of the investigation.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 30th June, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
