By Lamin Bangura
In May 2025, a horrifying ordeal began for Ismail Jalloh now living outside Sierra Leone, plunging him into a nightmare from which he has not emerged. He has been unable to locate his wife and his two surviving children, their whereabouts shrouded in fear and uncertainty.
The chain of terror began with a phone call from his wife, informing him that his cousin, Amadu, had died. Soon after, a group of men arrived unannounced at the family home in Makeni, demanding to speak with him. When they could not find him, they turned their attention to his wife. Their message was chilling: because his brother had died, Ismail was now required to fulfill a “family obligation” at a local mining area a debt they claimed was owed through a legacy of slavery stemming from a loan taken by his father and uncle.
Ismail tried to explain that his father, uncle, and now his brother were all dead, yet the group insisted he take their place. He was out of the country at the time, and the threat escalated: the men warned that if he did not comply, they would return for his wife and children.
The nightmare intensified on May 30th, when his youngest child passed away. His wife, her voice breaking with grief, called him in despair, confessing she would go anywhere to escape the fear and torment. She left shortly afterward with their two remaining children, vanishing without a trace. Since that day, Ismail Jalloh has been left in agonizing uncertainty, calling desperately, asking friends and neighbors for information, only to meet silence and evasive answers.
Now, months later, he remains trapped in anguish, haunted by the shadow of a sinister legacy and terrified for the lives of the family he has lost. The fear that grips him is not only for the past debts of generations but for the safety of the loved ones who may still be in danger.