By: The Fatu Network News Desk
A violent armed robbery at the home of renowned Beninese architect Lydia Assani in the coastal Senegalese town of Saly has triggered national outrage and an intensified police investigation. The attack, which occurred during the night of August 5 to 6, involved a group of 18 masked intruders armed with machetes, shotguns, and knives.
Assani was abroad at the time, but her three daughters and a housemaid were inside the residence. The attackers reportedly tied up five security guards and locked the family’s guard dogs in the basement before terrorising the occupants. A seven-year-old girl was forced to reveal the location of the household safe, while one of Assani’s daughters, a 28-year-old woman, was subjected to a brutal group assault by five of the intruders — first in her bedroom, and then again in the basement where the dogs had been confined.
After the assault, the victim was left alone, disoriented and in shock. She eventually made her way to the backyard, where she collapsed and was later found unconscious. She is currently receiving medical and psychological care.
The assailants stole a safe containing an estimated 10 million CFA francs (about $16,000), along with diamond and gold jewellery. They fled the scene in the family’s Ford Limited SUV, which was later found abandoned in Nguékokh, a nearby locality.
Senegalese authorities have since transferred the case to the Brigade de Recherches, a specialised investigative unit under the national gendarmerie based in Saly Portudal. This unit is typically tasked with handling serious or complex cases.
According to L’Observateur, several of the 18 suspects have already been identified through security camera footage captured during the night of the attack. All individuals who were present in the home at the time have now been interviewed by investigators.
The case has stirred strong emotions across Senegal and the wider region, with many calling for swift justice and greater protection for families and communities in resort towns like Saly.
