Karifa Thoronka
Poro secret society in Bambukuro Village in the Northern part of Sierra Leone is becoming major issues, as many young men have been intimidated whiles some have lost their life during the initiation ceremony in the last five years. Alusine Conteh who lost his both parents in 2014 have been staying with the chief in Bambukuro Village whiles attending Catholic School before he disappeared as result of intimidation and harassment in the society bush.
From a reliable source, the caretaker of Alusine who happens to be the town chief appointed Alusine with one other boy to be initiated as that been the tradition for chief to appoint two people in every initiation ceremony. Unexpectedly for Alusine, on the 24 day of April 2022 a group of society members descended on Alusine and dragged him into the society bush for initiation ceremony, the eyewitness revealed that Alusine manage to escaped after seeing some rituals ceremony been display with the first initiates.
Both the Chief and the traditional leaders have declared Alusine wanted for disappearing from the society bush without been initiated, the man who helped Alusine to escaped has been arrested by the traditional leaders and he is nowhere to be found. Moreover, since Alusine Conteh have already seen what they do in the society bush, the traditional authorities are after him in order to kill him for exposing their secrete.
In an inclusive interview with the head teacher for the Catholic School which Alusine was attending, Pastor John Okafor noted by saying that Secret societies pose a number of problems for young people in the communities, he further by saying that the very concept of a secret society is extra-biblical at best, and anti-biblical at worst. Pastor John described the story of Alusine as unfair as the boy never wanted to be part of any secret society because of his believe and what his late father told him about the effects of the society, ‘’The boy is very brilliant in School and never wanted to join any secret society’’ he says.
What is more of concern in Alusine’s case is the fact that some of the State holders are part of this Poro Society in the Country which includes Politicians, and the Police, who are still serving as active members.
