A Sierra Leonean civil servant is in hiding and fears for his life after escaping a forced initiation into a secret society that ended in a tragic death.
According to his account, Joseph Tommy Kaitibie, a 32 years old, was visiting relatives in Kamasasa Village on June 1st, 2025, when he was captured by local youths acting on the directives of village elders. He stated that he was taken against his will to the Poro Bush for a forced initiation into the male secret society, which he was told was for every “son of the soil.”
Mr. Kaitibie reported that the initiation rituals took a horrific turn when a boy standing near him, who was under the age of 16, began bleeding uncontrollably. He witnessed the boy succumb to his injuries and die on the spot. The sight allegedly terrified him so profoundly that he became convinced he would also die if the process continued. This fear prompted him to escape from the shrine at approximately 10:00 pm, fleeing into the bush before his own turn came the following morning.
He further explained that upon learning of his escape, the village elders and youths became incensed. They launched a search for him in the nearby villages. When they failed to locate him, they allegedly turned their anger on his relatives in Kamasasa. The elders were reported to have accused his family of harboring knowledge of his whereabouts and threatened to kill them if they did not produce him.
The news of his escape and the subsequent threats have reportedly spread across the surrounding villages and even reached the capital, Freetown. Mr. Kaitibie maintains that his life is in immediate danger, asserting that he will be killed if he is found. He emphasized that his family members have no knowledge of his location, yet they now face grave threats because of his absence. He is making a public plea for protection and intervention from the authorities.
