It could be recalled Osman was abducted and taken to the shrine at night for Poro initiation. The young man, according to the report , broke free through an unfinished house, misdirected machete-wielding pursuers, and escaped with some serious injuries.
Under Poro rules, a chief elder’s heir must be initiated; refusal, the family learned, carries some serious penalty. After Osman ran, members returned to threaten his household and warn neighbors against sheltering him.
Villagers say new recruits are forced to drink human blood during initiation and that those judged unfit “disappear.” Police rarely intervene, they add, because many officers belong to the societies themselves.
Rights activists including John Koroma have urged the Human Rights Commission to step in, noting that young and productive Sierra Leoneans are fleeing the country to avoid forced initiation.
It is now five years since that faithful day, Osman, his wife, and their children remain missing. In Yoni, society members still speak of the case as if it were yesterday—convinced Osman is alive somewhere, and vowing to “deal with him” if he is found.
In 2020, Osman Kanu fled a Poro initiation in the village of Yoni in Northern Sierra Leone after he was forced to undergo the rituals for his sick father.
As of today members of the secret society continue to hunt for this young man.
