Youth disappears amidst Secret Society Threats

By Amadu Kargbo
David Bai Kamara, who had been in hiding for destroying objects of the Bondo Society (female circumcision rite), now commonly known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), has disappeared.
David was reported to have escaped from the highly feared Poro secret society bush after he was dragged into that bush to be forcefully initiated for destroying Bondo ritual objects (regalia) in their family house at Lungi- Lol, Maforki Chiefdom in Port Loko District, Northern Sierra Leone.
A relative of David, who does not want her name to be published, said David fled to the capital city- Freetown, after escaping from the Poro bush late November, 2018; and that ever since he escaped, some members of the Poro and Bondo secret societies have been looking for him.
She explained that David set fire on the Bondo objects because of the trauma his relatives were put through, particularly on two of his sisters, by the Bondo society members, who forcefully performed FGM on them.
She said she is afraid for David’s life as she knows that something sinister would befall David if he is captured by those secret society members looking for him.
Asked why the said matter has not been reported to the police or to the local authorities (chiefs), she said such secret society matters are not of police interest or discussed publicly.
Many incidents having to do with secret societies, particularly the powerful Poro society, are not looked into by the police, most times out of fear, or because of some highly placed personalities who are members of the highly esoteric Poro society.
As at press time, David’s location is not known.