by Fatima Babih, EdD
When a Young Citizen Cautions a First Lady to “Respect Your Boundaries,” You Know She Has Been Pushed Too Far!
Her Attack on Edwina Jamiru Reveals Fatima Bio’s Lack of Self-Respect and Respect for Others
Sierra Leoneans have been warned time and again. But sometimes, the truth reveals itself so starkly that no amount of political spin can hide it. The recent statements by First Lady Fatima Bio and rape survivor Edwina Jamiru have exposed what many have long suspected: the Hands Off Our Girls campaign is not about protecting Sierra Leone’s vulnerable women and girls; it’s about building Fatima Bio’s image and promoting her political ambition.
Evidence in Her Own Words
Let us examine what Fatima Bio actually said on AYV TV about Edwina Jamiru, a young woman who is a rape survivor and an alleged victim of exploitation by a sitting judge, a case she fought in court and won. Fatima Bio made her false claim saying,
I’m paying your fees; it’s not for you to go and sleep around. If you decide to go and find yourself in some situation, why do you want to drag me in it?
Read those words again. A woman who claims to champion the rights of girls and women publicly accused a rape survivor of “sleeping around” and getting herself “in some situation.”
Another way in which Fatima Bio tried to devalue and minimize Edwina was her refusal to say her name. She said all those ugly things about the young lady without saying her name. She pretended to have forgotten the name until one of the hosts said “Edwina,” and Fatima Bio answered, “Yes.”
How can you be the one paying her tuition but do not know her name? In the end, she tried to correct her own lie by saying that her Foundation pays her fees.
These are not the statements of an advocate. This is victim-blaming. This is mockery. This is cruelty.
Her Weapon of Control
Fatima Bio boasts about paying school fees for 250 students annually. But notice how she wields this charity, not as genuine support, but as a weapon of control and silence. She also does not tell the world that she has received millions of dollars over the past eight years, in the names of girls in Sierra Leone, through her Hands Off Our Girls campaign. More than enough for her to have been paying the fees for 250,000, not 250 students.
The moment Edwina criticized the “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign as the scam that it is, Fatima Bio’s response wasn’t to listen or engage, but to:
- Publicly shame Edwina by falsely claiming she was receiving financial assistance
- Accuse her of sleeping around with men
- Dismiss her legitimate criticism as the ramblings of someone who is “troubled.”
Fatima Bio is not an advocate for protecting vulnerable girls and women, for which she has received millions in donor and government funds. This is the behavior of a cruel woman trying to manage her own image by tarnishing others’.
Edwina’s Courage
Edwina’s courage, once more displayed in her willingness to self-advocate, exposed Fatima Bio’s façade. Edwina’s response was nothing short of remarkable. Despite facing the full weight of the First Lady’s position and influence, she stood tall and firm. She corrected the record, I didn’t sleep with men. And went further to say:
And points of correction I’m so happy that I don’t have children or child with different fathers. My daughter Edwina Stevens has only one father, and that is Justice Momoh Jah Stevens and the DNA proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the child is his biological daughter and that shows that I’ve been a very faithful lady to Momoh Jah Stevens…I’ve been a decent woman, unlike some other women who have children with different fathers.
Most Sierra Leoneans know the fact that Fatima Bio is a mother of three or four children with different fathers. This in itself does not make her a bad person. But her attempt to pass moral judgment on this young woman for her “situation” makes Fatima Bio a a wicked hypocrite.
Edwina also revealed the truth: when she called out “Hands Off Our Girls” as the scam that it is, she wasn’t helped. Instead, she was arrested and jailed without due process. As she puts it:
Oh, have you forgotten what you did to me the last time? I haven’t forgotten. I just placed it behind me because all those things don’t matter.
Edwina’s statements highlighted the hypocrisy and scam: A First Lady who claims to fight for women but actually fights against women who speak up, as we have witnessed in her attacks on other women over the years.
Most demonstrative of the uselessness of Fatima Bio’s campaign for girls, Edwina pointed out that she won her case by representing herself in court, not with help from “Hands Off Our Girls,” but through her own strength and determination.
Questions We Must Ask
If Fatima Bio truly fights for women and girls, why did she mock a victimized young woman on national television instead of supporting her? Why did she try to shame her by falsely claiming that she paid her school fees? Why did she blame a sexual assault victim, labeling her as “sleeping with men,” instead of condemning the perpetrator?
It is now obvious that Fatima Bio collects millions of dollars in the name of girls and women in Sierra Leone, then uses those funds as leverage for silencing women, rather than for genuine empowerment.
These are not the actions of a First Lady fighting for women. These are the tactics of a woman desperately fighting to control her false narrative and maintain power.
Edwina named Fatima Bio’s real agenda plainly,
You are not fighting for women and girls in Sierra Leone. You are fighting for yourself, wanting to have certain positions that you are not even qualified for.
The “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign has never been about protecting Sierra Leone’s most vulnerable girls. It has always been about building Fatima Bio’s political brand, securing wealth and influence, and positioning herself for political office.
When that brand was challenged by someone with firsthand experience of sexual violence in Sierra Leone, the mask slipped off Fatima Bio’s façade.
Edwina made it clear that a woman who laughs at the pain of women in Sierra Leone cannot lead them. Her most piercing observation,
You laugh at women and girls in Sierra Leone… laughing at my situation, and that is the very reason why we would not want such a woman to be the president of the Republic of Sierra Leone, because you laugh at our predicaments as women and don’t help us solve these problems.
A true advocate uplifts those who have been knocked down. A true champion for women’s rights stands with survivors, not against them. A true leader listens to criticism and improves, rather than silencing and punishing critics.
Fatima Bio has proven to us she is none of these things.
The Choice Before Us
Sierra Leone deserves leaders, women, and men who genuinely fight for justice, dignity, and the protection of the vulnerable. We deserve leaders who empower rather than control, who listen rather than silence, who support survivors rather than shame them.
Edwina Jamiru, without political office, a charity foundation, or armed security details, stood up for herself and for the dignity of women in Sierra Leone. She continues to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer, determined to fight for other women and girls.
Edwina embodies the strength and resilience of Sierra Leonean-born women.
On the contrary, Guinean-born Fatima Bio, with all the financial and manpower resources of the First Lady’s office at her disposal, only knows how to use her platform to mock rape survivors, collect donor funds in their names, and use those resources to promote her own image for her political ambition.
Women and girls in Sierra Leone deserve better. Sierra Leone deserves better. And we must demand better.
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The statements analyzed in this article are publicly available and represent the actual words of both parties as recorded on February 9, 2026.
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 
On point
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