One of the daughters of a prominent leader of the female circumcision society locally known as the Bondo Society, Hassanatu Kallon, has reportedly escaped a life-threatening initiation ceremony in Port Loko District, Northern Province of Sierra Leone.
Sources who spoke to this medium on condition of anonymity, citing fear for their safety, disclosed that Hassanatu Kallon’s mother was a highly respected head of the Soweis in Port Loko District. Following her death, Hassanatu was allegedly designated in the spiritual realm as her successor. According to tradition, she was expected to undergo an initiation ceremony immediately after her mother’s burial in order to qualify to initiate young girls into the Bondo Society through female genital cutting.
However, the sources claimed that Hassanatu Kallon fled under the cover of darkness and escaped to Freetown, but prior to the escape community restless youths were claiming favor and deny the brutality community.
she reportedly sought refuge with her partner, Maju Ramadan Jalloh. After several days, the sources said there has been no trace of their whereabouts.
The escape has reportedly angered members of the Soweis, who, according to the sources, have declared both Hassanatu Kallon and her partner outcasts. They further alleged that, under traditional belief, anyone who defies initiation into the Bondo Society faces severe punishment, including death, as a deterrent to others.
Speaking through an interpreter, a senior member of the Bondo Society in Port Loko District, identified as Mammie Fatu, told this medium that the society would not relent until Hassanatu Kallon and her partner “face the wrath of the gods.” She further claimed that members nationwide had been alerted to ensure the couple does not leave the country, and warned against anyone offering them shelter or assistance.
When contacted, a police spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the matter was “purely traditional” and outside police jurisdiction.
Similarly, the Ministry of Local Government, which has oversight responsibilities relating to traditional authorities, declined to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Consortium of Civil Society on Human Rights and Economic Justice has called on members of the Soweis to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. The group appealed for protection and justice for Hassanatu Kallon and Maju Ramadan Jalloh, and condemned what it described as the increasing loss of innocent lives linked to resistance against harmful initiation practices. The consortium urged authorities to act decisively to bring such practices to an end.
Country-conditions information and community accounts further demonstrate a pattern or practice of persecution against individuals who resist or escape forced initiation into the Bondo Society. Sources describe prior cases within Port Loko District and surrounding areas in which women who fled impending initiation were later located, forcibly returned, and subjected to harmful practices against their will, resulting in severe injury or death, with no effective investigation or accountability. In these cases, families were reportedly intimidated into silence, and local authorities declined to intervene, citing the traditional nature of the practice. Such incidents are commonly referenced within the community as deterrents, reinforcing the credible and individualized threat faced by Hassanatu Kallon and Maju Ramadan Jalloh. Taken together with the public denunciation by society leaders and the lack of state protection, these facts establish a reasonable possibility of persecution upon return.