By: Alusine Abubakarr Bangura
Ibrahim Sorie Kanu is a born and bred son of Melikuri village, Port Loko District North-West
Region of Sierra Leone. He is the eldest son of Pa Musa Kanu, an Imam and community leader in
the Melikuri clan; a clan that strongly upholds the traditions and cultural practices of Africa.
Ibrahim Sorie, a 17-year-old boy, attending the Melikuri Junior secondary school, is the closest
friend to the 19-year-old, Salieu Bangura. Both of them are living in the same village. Ibrahim’s
friend, Salieu Bangura, has always been his strong support to his education and welfare. They like
each other and as such, many people perceived them as biological brothers. Salieu is two steps
ahead of Ibrahim at school, and he does render study aid to him.
On one fateful day when Ibrahim went for tutorial, Salieu professed love for him and demonstrated
that he loved him strongly; not long after that pronouncement, Salieu made sexual advances
towards Ibrahim said Ibrahim’s father. According to Ibrahim, he was afraid and never wanted to
agree to the request made by Salieu due to his religious background and the cultural setting of
Melikuri village. However, he couldn’t resist him because Salieu started doing things for him that
were beyond his imagination. Both became sexually attracted to each other and started having
affairs secretly. On the 10th of February, 2023, Ibrahim and Salieu were caught having sex at the
back of the school.
However, Melikuri community strongly detest the practice of homosexuality and lesbianism as
they see such as a taboo and contradicting the cultural practices of the community; such act is
considered as an abomination. It is a general rule in the community that whosoever is caught in
such practice is liable to a death sentence; Ibrahim was handed over to the Gbagbani society for a
call to the Shrine. This news makes the headlines in many media outlets in Sierra Leone. The elders
summoned the entire village to a meeting for decision making and verification of the allegatio n.
Unfortunately, both Ibrahim and Salieu admitted having sexual intercourse and that they have been
into it for a while now.
After a long deliberation, they were tied, beaten and later taken to the secret society bush for the
gods to decide their fate; when speaking to this medium, Ibrahim stated that they spent four days
without food and water with thorough beat. On their fifth day in the bush, a hunter came to their
rescue; at this point, they moved separate ways. While Ibrahim was in his struggle to escape, he
became weak, hopeless, famished and suffered in emaciated bones. Ibrahim tried crossing the road
when he was hit by a vehicle and was rushed to the hospital. After he regained his conscience, he
was interviewed about where he came from and what brought him at the location where he was
hit. He explained to them but they did not believe him. They went to the village to fact-check the
truth value of what Ibrahim told them but they were chased and pelted with stones, accusing them
of having an idea where the boys were. This incident gave them the courage to have Ibrahim under
their custody until he was fully recovered.
Unfortunately, the Society people kept chasing his rescuers (two whites and one black); the
rescuers later learnt that Ibrahim and his friend had been declared wanted, placing a prize for
whosoever would give information leading to their arrest. Ibrahim narrated that if the secret society
members of his village set eyes on him, he would be killed. Few months later, the search for
Ibrahim and Salieu became an issue of concern in north. Since that time to now, they are nowhere
to be found.