MAN HAUNTED FOR LATE FATHER’S OATH

The pluralities of harmful traditional practices, which has caused untold sufferings to many families are still been practiced and that government have all the right to intervene in mitigating the practices so that able youth with the strength and ability to contribute in the development of their communities will continue to create gap for youth participation in the development of the communities.

Due to these barbaric acts, many youth who have become converted in the Christianity and Islamic faiths have resorted to escape for their lives in other countries especially so when elders in their communities continued to uphold the norms and practices of the Poro secret society in enforcing the line of succession from father to son.

It could be recalled that before the general elections last year 2012, the chairman national council of Paramount Chiefs P.C. Charles Caulker of Rutifuk made a nationwide proclamation for the suspension of all secret societies which suspension is still in force.

But that not withstanding though, recently, there was a secret society upheaval in Nyanyahun Village in Kailahun District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone when a group of young known to be members of the secret society stormed the residence of Pa. Maada to demand for one Boima Bundu Davies son of the late Pa. Samuel Davies who dead during the civil war was one of the most influential and proactive powerful leaders of the Poro society in that village.

Elders of the poro society decided to storm the residence of Pa. Maada on tip off that this Boima Bundu Davies was in town after for years following persistence excuses by this Pa. Maada of not knowing the where about of his late brothers son as they can no longer wait to hear excuses from Maada, especially so, when they consider the manner Boima Bundu Davies miraculously escaped from the society bush where he was already detained for initiation for many days four years ago.

The Poro society which holds the core of certain communities in the country has caused much harm than it is known in the minds of many. A lots of these  realities stories of young men and teenage boys that have one way or the other victimized by these barbaric acts are still coming to spotlight but the question is what is the government doing about it? The poro even serve as a stronghold for political gains for different politicians all over Sierra Leone.

The search for Boima Bundu Davies was to step on the shoes of his late father Samuel Davies whose father was one of the strong custodians and pillars of the poro society in Nyanyahun village had long time taken an oath for the continuation of the poro power and fame to remain in his family.

Boima, was not initiated because he was still very young when his father passed away. In 2007-2008, when his uncle yielded to the demand of the elders in accordance with what he has agreed after the death of his brother that he will execute and enforce his late brother’s plan as he was also convinced in the pretext maintain the family status.

This was a nonnegotiable issue and a matter of most as he he has already subscribed to the oath of secrecy and any attempt to disclose it secret acts will lead to serious consequences that sometimes leads to death.

It during those moments that when Boima knew about this plan of barbaric acts and practices decided to report the matter of threat over his life to the Chiefdom local authorities who vehemently turned him down as they hold into high esteem the norms and practices of the Poro Society which they see as forbidden and an abomination for anyone to involved in such matter especially in the Mende land.

The late father Samuel Davies though he was a head of the society in that community who even took oath that after his death, his son will succeed him yet he also introduced his children to Christianity faith which this Boima Bundu Davies became fully converted to and could no longer allow himself to be initiated into any secret society cult.

Since his escape, rumors were everywhere among the poro members to recapture him as the poro society is a very big society in Sierra Leone. They have haunted him through all the surrounding villages and chiefdoms but no trace of him has been found anywhere while his uncle is facing several attacks and upheaval within the village to produce him. Escaping from the poro bush is against the poro society rules to enter their secret bush without you being a member. If so, then the person is now a threat to the society. That person will be wanted dead or alive because of the information that person is now carrying about the poro.

Early this month, the poro men once again stormed the home of his uncle in the village demanding him alive or dead. His whereabouts has become mysterious in the community as the poro men are fetching to get him in order not to reveal the secrets of the poro which is totally forbidden in the mende community when it comes to the poro society.  His uncle has been receiving death threats and curses that he must produce this poor and innocent boy and for whose the search has intensified for Boima Bundu Davies.