Hassan Fornah Flees for His Life Over Same-Sex Act
By: Mohamed Bangura
A wave of fear and stigma has gripped parts of Freetown and beyond after Hassan Fornah, a teenage boy from 139 Wilkinson Road, Lumley, fled his home following his involvement in a same-sex relationship a revelation that exposed him to public humiliation and violent threats.
Hassan, a Junior Secondary School student at Love of God International Secondary School, has been missing for nearly two weeks. His mother, Mrs. Istu Fornah, said her son escaped to an undisclosed location after a gay encounter nearly cost him his life. “Hassan ran away because he was caught having sex with another boy. He was declared wanted by the Sierra Leone Police for sodomy. He fled for his safety,” Mrs. Fornah recounted in tears.
The incident occurred on the evening of February 3, 2025, in Lumley. Since then, the family has faced severe social rejection and ridicule. Angry residents reportedly pelted stones at their house, forcing them to relocate to Dwazark Community.
Their ordeal worsened when Mrs. Fornah’s husband a respected Imam in Makeni was suspended from his mosque duties following the scandal.
“We are a respected Muslim family, but because of Hassan’s involvement in gay activities, people have turned against us. My husband is devastated, and our family has lost its peace,” she lamented.
Hassan’s disappearance has reignited national debate on sexual orientation, mob justice, and human rights in Sierra Leone, where same-sex relations remain criminalized and widely condemned by both religious and traditional institutions.
This is not an isolated case. In 2023, Thunder Hill, Kissy, witnessed a similar incident where a young man suspected of being gay was brutally beaten by community youths before being handed over to the police. Months later, in Waterloo, Western Area Rural, two men accused of same-sex activity were paraded half-naked through the streets, sparking mob violence.
Human rights advocates have long warned that mob justice and public shaming linked to same-sex activity fuel violence, fear, and discrimination. Despite global calls for tolerance and reform, individuals involved in gay activity in Sierra Leone continue to face assault, social ostracism, or even death threats.