By Ragan M. Conteh

The Speaker of Parliament, Segepoh Solomon Thomas and Committee on Gender headed by Hon Catherine Zainab Tarawallie have received report from one Huliamatu Bah for her missing child.

Huliamatu Bah complained Mr. Moses Gbapi of Mosongo village, Kori Chiefdom for taking her 2 years 4 months old daughter Jamestina Sowa with the pretext of taking her for a programme that helps young mothers take care of their children.

Speaking at the Committee Room One in Parliament, Huliamatu Bah said she was convinced by Chief Moses Gbapi that the programme is based in Freetown and that she can visit her daughter at any time.

She stated that looking at the familiar relationship they have with Chief Gbapi she thought he was genuinely trying to find support for her child, little did she know that Gbapi had a different motive.

Huliamatu Bah said she agreed to his proposal and they went together to Freetown with one of Chief Gbapi’s brother called Jimmy Gbapi and her child.

She further explained that when they got to Freetown, they took her to an office which they said is the Ministry responsible for the programme which she later found out that it’s the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affair, adding that she was happy because they said they were going to help her take care of her child.

“I was shocked when they asked me to sign a paper where Mr. Moses Gbapi had already signed. When I asked why I should sign, Mr. Moses Gbapi told me to just sign so I did and handed over the child to one Emma Banya who they said is in charge of the programme,” she explained in tears.

Bah said after few days she came to see her child as they told her earlier and even brought some fruits for her but Mr. Jimmy Gbapi asked her to go back not allowing her to see her child with an instruction that whenever she wants to see her child she should first call him if he allows then she should come.

According to Huliamatu Bah, Jimmy Gbapi further told her that the child in fact no longer belongs to her.

It was then, according to Huliamatu Bah, she told her sister who is a police officer at Waterloo police station.

She went further to explain that what pained her most was that Moses and Jimmy Gbapi were invited for questioning but the matter was just down played and up to now nothing has come out of it, which is why she decided to come to parliament and report to the Speaker for Justice so that she can get her child back.

On his side, Chief Moses Gbapi admitted that indeed his brother Jimmy Gbapi told her about the child caring programme in Freetown but not as a adoption programme.

Chief Gbapi further explained that he was in a relationship with Huliamatu Bah when she was in SSS2 and he later impregnated her and claimed that the girl is her daughter, a statement Huliamatu Bah denied.

After thorough investigations by the Committee on Gender and Childrens Affairs in Parliament, the Chair of the Committee, Hon Catherine Tarawallie demanded the birth certificate of the child and all other relevant documents for further deliberations.

The Committee has also invited Jimmy Gbapi and officials of the Ministry of Gender and Childrens Affairs to appear in parliament on Thursday 26th June, 2025 in Parliament.

The Committee Chair said anyone who fails to honor the summon will be arrested.

Meanwhile, Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas has told the committee to act tough and get the truth of the missing children.

It was also discovered through investigations that the missing child has been adopted and she has been flown out of Sierra Leone.

The hearing adjourned for Thursday 26th June 2025.