A year after the tragic stoning death of Roger Bugbile over an alleged cross-dressing lifestyle, his family in the Zalerigu community of the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region continues to grapple with grief and frustration as they seek justice for their lost son.
Roger was believed to be in his early twenties and was found dead in the community, suspected to have been killed by some irate youth from the community.
A year on, our reporter, Moses Apiah, visited the family to engage in whether the perpetrators have been identified by law enforcement agencies.
Speaking to the father of the deceased, Kobga Bugbile, indicated that he still reels from the shock of his son’s brutal killing, unable to comprehend why anyone would commit such a heinous act or who the perpetrators might be.
According to him, despite reporting the incident to the police, they as a family have not received any information about who the perpetrators might be.
“The police have not lived up to expectations. I came and reported an incident; at least they were supposed to tell me something, but they just shunned me, telling me that the child was lynched somewhere and because of that, you cannot do anything.”
“What sort of policing is this? You are the ones supposed to do the job of finding the perpetrators; for me, a civilian, what can I do?”
Expressing his disappointment with the prolonged quest for justice, Mr. Bugbile assured that he remains resolute that justice will ultimately prevail, entrusting the fate of his son’s killers to divine judgment.
“I know I might not get the justice I want, but I have left the killers to the hands of our shrine. Our shrine over there will do justice for me,” he said with tears on his face.
Touching on Roger’s lifestyle, Mr. Bugbile said he was aware of his son’s love for cooking, as he used to prepare street food “Indomie” at the market square for sale.
Beside his son’s final resting place, Mr. Bugbile planted a mango tree, a solemn tribute to a life cut short. He revealed that Roger was the family’s sole achiever of a Senior High School certificate.
“Among my children, he was the only one to go to SHS,” he shares, his voice heavy with sorrow. “He was having plans to further his education, and these wicked people did this to us by killing him.”
Maxwell Bugbile, Roger’s elder brother, recounted their futile attempts to seek help from the police before the tragedy, citing numerous reports of threats against Roger’s life. Despite their efforts, these warnings were allegedly disregarded, allowing the perpetrators to roam freely in the community.
“First, we saw it as a rumor and then later on, the person began to make fun of it in the community. He wanted to use him for money rituals,” he said. “All of these we reported to the police, but nothing happened.”
The police, however, refused to comment on the matter at the time of filing this report.
Roger’s situation, however, cast fear among people who have identified themselves as cross-dressers in the community and the region and country at large.
Some of them who spoke to our reporter on some social media platforms indicated that his (Roger’s) killing led them to run out of the community for fear of getting stoned to death like Roger.
One individual, who wishes to remain anonymous for his safety, disclosed that Roger was not just an acquaintance but a close friend.
He recounted how the harrowing experience of Roger compelled him to relocate to Tamale with his family.
He later had to leave the country because he felt unsafe in his new location. According to him, even before he left the country, he had to relocate to the Ashanti Region again due to the continued threats and fear for his life. “I had to enroll into the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) for an M.Phil Programme even though I’m already a Masters Holder. I paid the fees, started the Programme, not because I wanted another Masters degree, but just to hide myself in a farther location while my visa process was ongoing” he said.
Meanwhile, QuGEF, a non-profit organization that provides legal assistance to sexual and gender minorities in Ghana, though assured of getting justice for Roger’s father, the executive doubted the relenting attitudes of the security agencies on the matter.
“We will continue to visit the police station to remind and assist the police officers with any information until someone is accountable for the untimely death of Roger.”
According to the Executive Director of QuGEF, Richard Fifehere Kwofie, Roger’s incident could be described as a targeted murder, yet justice is elusive.
“It’s very difficult for us as an organization without any constitutional powers to assist families who lose relatives through such circumstances to seek justice. We can only rely on the Ghana police to do their work,” he stressed.
He said, “In dealing with the Ghana police services on such cases, you realize there is no commitment first of all, secondly, there is a lack of resources and technical challenges to foster investigation and to be able to hold perpetrators accountable.”
As the Bugbile family continues to mourn the loss of Roger, they remain determined to pursue justice and hold those responsible for his untimely demise accountable.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
