The Zanzibar Police Force, in a response to sexual assault allegations made by a Nigerian tourist, Zainab Oladehinde, who claimed she was sexually assaulted in Warere Hotel in Nungwi, Zanzibar, has emphasized that Zanzibar is safe for tourists.
The Regional Police Commander (RPC) for North Unguja, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Martin Otieno, narrating their side of the story, disclosed that Zainab did not provide sufficient evidence that could help in arrests and prosecution of offender(s).
According to ACP Otieno, the Nigerian did not cooperate with the officers in the course of the investigations when she first reported the incident.
“She instead, wanted the police to force the hotel where she claims she was sexually harassed to pay compensation of 10,000 US dollars to settle the matter,” ACP Otieno said in a statement.
Seeing how uncooperative Zainab was, the Police advised her to take the matter to court, so that the law could take its cause but she could not take the advice and continued to complain, the ACP indicated.
“However, her claims of sexual harassment and missing cash money, amounting to 1,100 US dollars, were filed to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who also withheld the file because of insufficient evidence,” the Police said.
The police also raised concerns over Zainab’s move to publicize her claims on a social network after one year, insisting that she should have followed proper channels and helped the authorities with the required evidence to prove her case. The police suggested that her social media claims were tantamount to tarnishing the image of Tanzania, and the tourism industry.
ACP Otieno then iterated that Zanzibar remains safe for tourists and other visitors.
Background of the story
Zainab Oladehinde on Saturday, April 16, 2022, made allegations that in 2021, when she visited Zanzibar for a vacation on her birthday, she was sexually assaulted in the hotel she booked to stay in.
“I haven’t been able to talk about it because I’ve been in therapy for a year to heal from the psychological trauma as (a result of) this experience,” she wrote.
Zainab disclosed that she traveled alone from Lagos, Nigeria to Zanzibar on April 15, 2021, for her 23rd birthday. She alleged that while sleeping naked at night she felt a man touch her. According to her, she struggled with the man as he tried to forcefully have his way with her before she convinced him that she had HIV and that he should go and bring protection, something the rapist obliged.
Zainab further narrating her story mentioned that when she and her friend she had called got to the police station, she was asked to write her statement and the policemen advised her to go to the hospital to do a check-up if she was raped or not.
“They were all speaking Swahili and were asking me questions instead of interrogating the suspects. When I decided to take a picture of the police station and the statement I had written, the policemen started threatening me to delete the pictures. I didn’t delete my pictures and videos. Instead, I took more because this was the only weapon I had against them. I started to Google Nigerian embassies in Tanzania. I called all of them, but no one answered”.
Zainab
According to Zainab, when the nurse at the hospital she visited confirmed that there was no penetration, the policemen averred that they had no reason to press charges of sexual assault, adding that the only issue was the stolen money.
“The policemen at the Nungwi police station in Zanzibar kept on bullying and harassing me. They told me to leave the police station and that I wasn’t raped. I was so frustrated, sad, and scared. How could the police do this to me? How could the hotel do this to me? The owner and manager said I lied about my experience,” Zainab shared.
The story sparked outrage on social media as Nigerians took to Google ratings to drop over 4000 negative reviews for the hotel.
Zanzibar Tourism Commission to Start Investigation
Meanwhile, on Sunday, April 17, 2022, the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism disclosed that it was investigating the allegations by Zainab Oladehinde.
“The commission is shocked and disappointed to learn of this incident and takes these allegations very seriously. An immediate investigation has commenced and we will give the findings. We condemn any harm or threat to our visitors to the peaceful Islands of Zanzibar,” the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Hafsa Mbamba, said in a statement.
That notwithstanding, the Warere Beach Hotel, where Zainab was allegedly assaulted, also reacted to the story. According to the hotel, the matter was reported to relevant authorities who classified the case as personal, and not the hotel’s negligence.
“We tried our best to support Miss Oladehinde as soon as we learned of the accusations. We immediately brought her to the police and offered her support,” Warere Hotel posted on Facebook.
The hotel also faulted the aggrieved client for declining to take the case further after pursuing numerous avenues in her quest for justice. The hotel noted it was ready to meet the compensation awarded to Zainab by the court if her claims were proven true.
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