A Sierra Leonean, Sulaiman Kamara, who is in the United State of America (USA) for educational exercise has been under serious life threat back home in Sierra Leone as a result refusing to replace his late father in his previous position in a Secret society known as ‘Poro Society 

in a village known as Makomp within Marampa Chiefdom, 3 kilometers away from Lunsar township in Port Loko District, Northern Sierra Leone.

In an interview with this media, Hamidu, who happened to be the cousin of Sulaiman Kamara who is currently residing in USA, disclosed that Sulaiman travelled to USA sometimes in December 2022 for studies with support from his father, Wusu Kamara who was sponsoring his education back home in Sierra Leone and also abroad.

He disclosed that Sulaiman father died on the 15th May 2023 while he was in USA struggling with his education. In a telephone interview with Sulaiman, he confirmed to be serious affected by his father’s death, stating ‘My plans to surprise my Dad upon my graduation has been shattered. I almost lost focus on what I was pursuing at that time’ he disclosed, explaining that he was shocked and dumbfounded to receive another distress calls informing him about the outcome of a meeting held after his Father’s 40th Day ceremony that he should replace him in his secret society ‘Poro society’. They concluded that the late man only son should replace him and assume his position in the secret society, as there should be no vacancy in the hierarchy.

According to Hamidu, he informed this media that the Traditional Leader and Secret Society members asked Sulaiman’s Uncle about his whereabout and fortunately Hamidu was also around when the incident happened. He responded that Sulaiman was not in town as he is currently pursuing his studies abroad. This information made them angry and assured that whenever Sulaiman return they will make sure he replace his late Dad by going through the initiation exercise.

Sulaiman Uncle further informed the Secret Society people that Sulaiman was not living in Lunsar but in Waterloo before his travelled to the USA.
In an Interview with one of the Secret Society members who refused to disclosed his name, he maintained that nothing will destroy their tradition, explaining that they inherited it from the forefathers, which Sulaiman will not break. He assured their members are currently searching for Sulaiman who they believe is somewhere within Sierra Leone and if they catch him, he will return to the village as a complete man who have gone through the Traditional procedures of becoming a man in their Chiefdom.

According to research, one of the two most widespread secret societies in West Africa are, the Poro Society which is found all along the Upper Guinea coast from Liberia to Sierra Leone. In the past, before Christian and Muslim missionaries became influential in these areas, most boys were initiated into the Poro Society as an essential part of their transition to adulthood, while girls were initiated into the similar Sande Society.

To be initiated into the society, candidates leave their homes and live communally for a time in the “Poro bush,” a sacred grove located outside the town limits. There the Poro spirit, a fierce guardian entity of the forest, symbolically eats them; they spend time within the womb of the spirit’s wife, and then are reborn as men with new Poro names. A council of Poro elders oversees these rites, and also traditionally manages certain community affairs and settles disputes over land or succession in aristocratic lineages. In many areas the local Poro Society wields a great deal of political and economic authority, which, however, is balanced by the influence of the women’s Sande Society. In some areas, in fact, Poro and Sande elders alternate in power, with Poro elders having the final word in one year and Sande elders holding authority the next.

During the era of British rule over Sierra Leone, several colonial administrations attempted to break the economic and political authority of the Poro Society: an 1897 “Poro Ordinance” barred Poro groups from their traditional role in managing the harvest of certain trade crops, while an 1898 rising against the colonial government, the Hut Tax War, was blamed by the British on the Poro Society. Stringent repressive measures against the Society failed, however, to force it out of its traditional position, and since the collapse of colonial rule the Society has played an important part in the region. During the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s, local Poro elders were even able to proclaim and enforce a “Poro curfew” forbidding night attacks in certain regions, helping local communities stay out of the crossfire between insurgents and government troops.'