Abdulrahim Mujtabah, a devout Muslim is currently in hiding or has possibly fled Sierra Leone, because he has repeatedly face threats of being forcibly initiated into the Poro Society, the secret society of which majority of government officials in Sierra Leone are members of.
Investigations carried out by this newspaper indicate that Mujtabah’s ordeal started on 31 August 2022 when he was grabbed from his home in the dead of the night and reportedly taken to the Poro Bush to begin the initial phase of initiation. A Medical Reports from the main Connaught Hospital in Freetown showed that he had sustained bruises all over his body which left him highly traumatized for several weeks.
Despite most members of his family, who are also members of these secret societies, say he must undergo what they called “the family rite of passage” whether he liked it or not; he is adamant that such practices are not compatible to his religious beliefs. So, our investigations further indicate that on 3 September 2023, Abdulrahim Musjtabah got a tip-off from one of his cousins who told him that some members of the Poro Society would be coming for him that night to forcefully take him to the Poro Bush for the second and final stage of initiation. After he got that information; he reportedly fled his home.
Abdulrahim Mujtabah’s refusal to be initiated into the Poro Society is seen as not only a betrayal but a disgrace to his family which has held a century-long tradition of initiating all male members of the Mujtabah family into the Poro Society.
Research has shown countless instances in which citizens are chased, harassed, and forcefully initiated into the Poro Society.