At the Hands Of Secret Society Members… Ibrahim Sansie Narrowly Escapes Death

By Michael Bangura

In the Eastern part of the country Sierra Leone in a village called Wordu in Kono, Report indicates that a young man by the name of Ibrahim Sansie narrowly escaped death in the hands of Secret society members. The young man, according to information, was forcefully conscripted into the Wonda Poro Society for initiation,a deadliest secret society in the Eastern part of SierraLeone.

According to our source who is an eyewitness living next door to Sansie, he said the young man has been living in Wordu village for quite sometime but left to pursue his Education in Koidu Town and later return back to the village when his father passed away.

Unknowingly to the young man, report says when the boy father was alive he informed stakeholders of the village to initiate his son as the next high priest of the Wonda Poro Society.

Information also filtering into this medium that Ibrahim lost his Elder brother on the same process of initiated him into the society on the instruction of his father.

Our confidant revealed that on one fateful night, he had a strange voices outside the house. Upon opening the door, a group of young men descended on him from intruding into their affairs.

Madam Sia (not her real name for security reasons), a resident in the neighborhood, informed this medium that she saw the young men overpowered Ibrahim Sansie that night.

She furthered that in the morning, information went around the village that some youths had been taken for initiation by the secret society members. Since it is a men secret society, women were not allowed to ask questions or serve as a witness as to what happened, as such has a consequences of dead on the women and family.

Another Elder (name withheld for his security reason) who is a member of the society, informed this medium that whilst Ibrahim Sansiei was in a house where he has been put for safe keeping before being moved to the forest (Bush) where he was supposed to be given the treatment that all of the intiate went through, namely: beating and traditional medicine which Ibrahim Sansie went through.

It is reported that Ibrahim destroyed all the medicine and that led him to face the consequences of his action as he was tired in a room, but one of the Elders in the village who is also member of the society had him crying and came to his rescue by untiring him from and allowed him to escape through the window enroute to a nearby village called Kakie Village which is just few kilometers away from the village where the incident occurred.

Few minutes after his escape, the society members got a glimpse of the information and surrounded the village, but they were unable to find Ibrahim.

The Society members surrounded the bush and village in search of Ibrahim Sansie, but to no avail. They then returned and mounted extensive search for the escapee in his house but he was no longer to be found.

After all efforts proved futile, they issued strong warning to the family family members of Ibrahim to desist from hiding Ibrahim, stressing that if they continue in that direction they will have to pay dearly for their lives, as Ibrahim had done something bad to the sacred shrine and should not be allowed to go scot free.

They said Ibrahim should pay the price for his action or facing death just like the way his Elder brother faced death when he refused to be initiated.

In an interview with the old man who rescued Ibrahim, he told this medium that Ibrahim Sensei had gone to a town called Kenema and later crossed to a Neigbouring country Country called Liberia.

Family members spoken to this press say since the abduction of Ibrahim Sansie by the secret society members, they have not been able to set eyes on him, nor did they know his whereabouts.

Family members said they only learnt about the disappearance of Ibrahim when members of the Secret Society came to search for him after being kept for three days in their custody.

When asked why they did not report the matter to the police, they responded in the affirmative saying that almost all the officers and elders in the village were aware of disappearance of Ibrahim and even the dead of his elder brother by the Secret Society members as no justice has come out of it.

Family members sayon several occasions the secret society members had visited their homes and issued threatening remarks including threat to kill Ibrahim Sansie when he is found.

It is important to note that in many parts of the country initiation into secret societies is sanctioned by tradition, and elders cooperate fully. Women do not have a say on such matters, as they too have their own secret societies.

Members of Secret societies asserted that this system is their rite of passage to manhood. Their rituals often result in deaths of some of the recruits, due to the inhumane traditional practices meted out on the initiates, and as a result of this, alot of young men putting up stiff resistance of being intiated into the secret society.

This inhumane traditional practice has not been largely condemned by the government, but there is little done by Government to get rid of these secret society members.

As we go to press, the whereabouts of Ibrahim Sansie is still unknown and the search for him by the secret society continues unabated.