Secret Society Issues Death Threats Against Bangura Family

Reports from the northern district of Bombali state that members of the female secret society in the district have declared wanted the head of the Bangura Family, his wife and two girls (,aged between 5 and 8 years) for deliberately refusing to honor their traditional commitment to the society.

According to our source, the Bangura Family have gone into hiding, as the threats against their lives have taken a new dimension, with the society people burning houses of people who have also refused to give their daughters for initiation. According to our source, their situation is further precarious, especially as the Bangura Family is prominent Ruling house in the Chieftaincy lineage, and by tradition, it is mandatory for all ruling house members to be the custodians of the tradition and culture of the Chiefdom.

Our Investigation into the matter revealed that the Bangura Family is a respected family and a strong pillar in the Chieftaincy lineage. It was also revealed that the forefathers of the family embraced the practices of the secret societies (both male and female secret societies), but when the issue of initiation was brought up to the current head of the Bangura Family, he vehemently rejected the idea of giving his two young daughters for initiation into the society (FGM), describing it as dangerous and will endanger the lives of his kids. His stance was strengthened by his wife’s revelation about the pain that she went through in giving birth, due to the initiation that she had gone through at her early age, almost losing her life.

This refusal angered the members of the secret society, who saw their refusal as a challenge to the gods, and sacrilege. Infuriated, the members stormed houses of known opponents of the tradition and burning down of those premises. Our investigation unearthed that the burning down of those houses was as a result of the failure of the members of the secret society to abduct the girls from their parents, as many fled into the bush.

Civil Society activists have raised alarm over the deaths of some of those kids initiated that have bled to death, the most recent being an incident that occurred in another northern district, where three young underage girls bled to death from the initiation. Situations like these have created fear among many residents, leading to some leaving their villages for safe havens in districts where they are not known, in other cases where their lives are at risk, they simply go into hiding and have not been heard from.

Unfortunately, this traditional practices continue unabated with the blessings of politicians, as it ensured getting votes. These politicians, both male and female sponsor such initiation ceremonies. Thus, they are less inclined to take any action against the practice. It is infact a taboo to discuss it, let alone report it. One becomes an open target for elimination if you take that venture.

As we go to press, the whereabouts of the Bangura Family are still unknown and the threats to their lives seem to have gained momentum, as affiliate members have taken up the search for them.