Wednesday 28 March 2018, this year, a family in Kissi Town, Bo City, was violently attacked with stones and sticks by some politically and Poro society motivated group of men leaving two family members seriously injured including a nine year old girl.

The victims are presently receiving treatment in a clinic. According to information gathered by this media this has been going on for years now.
Mr. Tucker, a neighbor to the said family told this media that attacks of this nature have been going on against this family since he moved into the neighborhood in January 2012. According to him, early 2015, a woman in her late fifties (Alice Kainesie) was beaten up, molested and her shop which was her main source of income burned down to ashes.

She later fled for her life to an unknown location and has not returned since then. They have no idea about her whereabouts or her welfare.
Another neighbor, Mr. Sheku who has been in the neighborhood before Mr. Tucker told our reporters that it all started years back when her eldest son, Basiru refused to take over his late father’s (Pa. Aliou Kainesie ) position as the second in charge of a powerful Poro secret society.

According to Mr. Sheku, it was said that Basiru was later forcefully taken away into the poro society forest for initiations, but he said Basiru interrupted the initiation process and allegedly burned down their poro society bush and fled for his life to an unknown destination.

The poor woman has been facing persecutions from the poro members accusing her of being the brain behind her son’s refusal to join the poro and to take over his late father’s position, maybe because of her religious beliefs as a Christian (Catholic).

Her other son Brima the junior brother to Basiru was kidnapped in early 2016 by the poro members when he traveled with his friends to his father’s village to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the death of their late father. Since then no news about him, some even believed he might have been killed.

An eyewitness who was present on the scene on the day of the attack, Sao, told our reporters that one of the attackers an elderly man who was dressed in a terrifying traditionally designed costume with a long sword hanging on his left shoulder declared publicly without hesitation that they will never stop the harassment on this family until Basiru is found dead or alive.

He added that Basiru must surely pay for all the troubles and embarrassment he has brought on their poro society in recent years. Not only did he interrupt his initiations that should have permitted him to take over his late father’s positions but deliberately burned all what they have labored to put together for centuries.

He also said Basiru must be sacrificed to the mighty poro devils for challenging them. The same man said that they just hoped and prayed that the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) would win the presidential elections; they will not hesitate to deal with anybody that stands in their way. He boldly claimed that the SLPP is a Mende party and that the SLPP has great regards for the poro society and it activities because all the poro members are all strong SLPP members.

An anonymous woman who is also a friend to the said family complained that poro has become problem for them in that part of the country; as their sons flee the towns and villages leaving schools because they were afraid of being forcefully initiated.

Now the question is. Is there any way to bring this to an end because the activities of the poro society are negatively affecting the communities around that part of the country?
Many young boys have dropped out of schools and many young men have abandoned their activities to flee for their lives because they don’t want to be part of the poro society activities and we’re sure many more will continue to flee if nothing is done about it.
It’s high time the International community steps up to look into these things. As there is nothing the police can do because most of them are members of those secret societies and almost all the government seniors and junior officers are also members. It has never happen in the history of this country where an elder of a secret society or a traditional leader has been brought to justice because of their evil activities in their respective communities. While this continues the poor and innocent ones will continue to suffer.