By Mohamed Conteh.
Reports reaching this media house have revealed that Umaru Mansaray, a youth, formerly residing at 48 Bangura Street, Makeni, Bombali District is now on the run fearing for the safety of his life after being declared wanted by the members of the dreaded poro secret society in Makeni.
With the passage of time and civilization in the world, cultures are bound to perish. Recent incidents unfolding from the people in the provinces show the poro society is losing a battle they never dreamed, hence they have to enforce new strategies to keep it alive for the next generations to come.
According to our provincial correspondent, Umaru was handed over to his uncle in the same town where his parent lived, the parent handed him over to his uncle because of their poor condition of living and they wanted their son Umaru to be educated.
Umaru was handed over to his uncle Pa Yamba Mansaray not as a nephew but as a son since his uncle never had a son. An undisclosed source to our correspondent that, the uncle never took Umaru in good fate but for him to be used as a sacrifice so that he could gain more power in his secret society call Poro Society which is the most dreadly society in Makeni since he did not have a son so Umaru is going to be the sacrificial lamb the source said.
Reaching a member of Umaru’s family, he said Umaru was brough up in a religious way though his parent where poor but they tough him and his brothers and sisters the way of God and that the disappearance of Umuru as was as a result of his uncle whom he learnt that was forcing Umaru to to be part of his secret society as a way of getting him easily for sacrifice.
The parents of Umaru knew all what their son was passing through in the hand of his uncle but was afraid to confront the uncle because of his influence in the society and a richman in the society.
However, a closed person to the parent of Umaru told Umaru that him and some other boys are going to be initiated to night but it is not an initiation but a sacrifice to the Poro Society devil for his uncle to be more rich and influential. According to information gathered by this media house, Umaru refused to abide to the long existing compulsory traditional laws of getting him sacrifices all in the name of initiated, he escaped his former residence to an unknown location as preparations by the Poro men for his initiation was under way.
Reports say Umaru and the other boys who were to be sacrifice were in their uncle’s house at night when a set of men from the said secret society marched straight into their compound demanding that Umaru and the other boys has to go with them an eye witness told this press.
Other community members in the town told this press that it was good that the young men escaped from the traditional society members before been taken to the initiation otherwise they would have been a dead man by now.
Owing to forceful initiations of the Poro Society, it had always caused the death of innocent young men in the country.
Whatever the truth is, authorities here have not given up search on him as report say he is still badly wanted by the Poro National Union.
What is more of concern in Umaru’s case is the fact that some of the states holders are part of this Poro Society in the country that includes Politicians, Police, military personnel and many more serving as active members. So the possibility for Umaru to escape such a very treacherous fraternity is never visible. Referencing past experiences , should he be captured by this fraternity his next choice will be death as it’s against tradition for a next in line son to deny initiation and inheritance in such situations.
