A disturbing case from the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region has once again drawn attention to the fragility of child protection systems in the country. Two sisters, aged seven and four, have allegedly been defiled by a 47-year-old man identified as Sulley Fongo, a trader known within their community.
According to reports by A1 Radio’s Moses Appiah, the suspect allegedly lured the children with sweets before sexually assaulting them. A medical report confirmed the girls suffered torn hymens and bruises consistent with penetration.
Despite the compelling evidence and repeated complaints from the victims’ widowed mother, the suspect remains at large. The Bawku Divisional Police Command told A1 Radio that they have been unable to apprehend him because they do not possess his photograph, a justification that has sparked widespread outrage and disbelief.
The admission has raised critical questions about police efficiency and accountability in rural jurisdictions where justice often arrives too late, or not at all.
Civil society group Rise Ghana has demanded immediate action, describing the police’s explanation as “unacceptable and deeply troubling.” The organization emphasised that such excuses erode public confidence and embolden perpetrators.
“We cannot allow a confessed defiler to roam freely while victims continue to suffer trauma,” their statement read, calling for swift intervention from regional and national authorities.
Former Upper East Regional Minister Tangoba Abayage also criticised the police response, branding it “the weakest and weirdest excuse anybody can give.” She questioned why security agencies that swiftly mobilize for conflict-related operations in Bawku appear powerless when confronted with crimes against children.
Meanwhile, the victims’ mother, a sachet-water vendor struggling to care for her children, continues to live in anguish. “He walks freely as if nothing happened. I just want justice for my daughters,” she told A1 Radio in tears.
Her words reflect the helplessness of many rural women who confront abuse cases with little institutional support.
Community members say the suspect still operates his shop near a private school, a chilling reminder of how impunity can silence entire neighbourhoods. Fear has replaced trust, and whispers of frustration fill the town. For many residents, this case is not an isolated incident but a reflection of a justice system that too often fails the most vulnerable.
The Bawku defilement case has become a moral and institutional test for Ghana, one that challenges the nation to prove that justice is not a privilege reserved for the powerful, but a right guaranteed to every child.
Until meaningful action is taken, the cries of two innocent sisters will continue to echo through Bawku’s silence, demanding not sympathy, but justice.