By Borbor Bangura
In the village of Yoni in 2020, Osman Kanu fled a Poro initiation meant to substitute for his sick father; society members pursued the family, who went into hiding.
Osman Kanu on that day narrowly escaped death after members of the Poro Society in Yoni Village abducted him to stand in for his incapacitated father, Pa Osman Kanu, who could no longer take part in society rites. When the family refused, initiates took Osman to the shrine at night. He fled through an unfinished house, drawing machete-wielding youths away in the wrong direction, and escaped with an injured left hand and on the chest.
Pa Kanu’s illness requires his heir to be initiated; relatives say they pleaded for exemption.
Osman hid, then ran; Poro members returned, threatened the family, and warned that harboring him carried a death penalty.
Villagers report that new recruits are forced to drink human blood during initiation; those deemed unfit “disappear.” Police say they don’t interfere because many belong to the secret society.
Activist John Koroma urges the Human Rights Commission to act, noting young people are leaving Sierra Leone to avoid forced initiation.
Since the incident in 2020, Osman, his wife, and children remain missing and nobody knows there whereabouts.
However, the Incident in Yoni leading to Osman’s disappearance is still fresh in the minds of societal members. They believe Osman is still alive and hiding somewhere. They have vow to deal with the young man whenever he is found. It is five years since the incident took place, yet members of the poro secret society continue to pursue the young man.
