“Abdulkarim Koroma,” a man from the northern city of Makeni, is reported to have had his life defined by fear and violence at the hands of the secretive Poro society, a powerful male fraternity that dominates large parts of Sierra Leone’s cultural and political life.
Koroma’s friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recalls when Koroma was forcibly conscripted into the Poro bush when he was young—an ordeal he describes as brutal and life-threatening. During the initiation, Fofie says, some boys died from the harsh conditions, and Koroma considered himself fortunate to survive.
The society’s grip on his family began years earlier. His parents, “Sorieba” and “Jeneba Koroma,” separated after a bitter dispute over the forced initiation of Abdulkarim’s younger brother, who later died during the process. Relatives say Jeneba opposed the practice, but in their community, men traditionally hold the final say. Abdulkarim’s father, himself a key Poro member, supported the initiation—a decision that ultimately tore the family apart.
As a teenager, Koroma and his mother left Makeni for the capital, Freetown, in search of safety and a new life. There, he started a relationship and became a father. But the Poro society continued to cast a shadow over his future. After his father’s death, elders demanded that he inherit his father’s position within the fraternity—a role that included overseeing initiations—and later insisted that his own child be initiated. Koroma resisted these demands despite repeated threats.
He also described witnessing disturbing practices, including Koroma’s father’s burial, in which the deceased was reportedly not interred in a grave but instead “taken into the Poro bush.” When Koroma spoke out against such rituals, he was allegedly tortured and warned to continue his father’s work or face death.
The harassment soon extended to his immediate family. Relatives disclosed that Koroma’s baby mama was detained by police when she tried to report that Poro members were threatening her partner and child for refusing initiation. Local residents note that such complaints are rarely pursued, as many police officers and politicians are themselves Poro members. In many areas, it is regarded as taboo for a woman to speak publicly about the society.
Fearing for his life and determined to protect his son, Koroma fled his community and now lives in hiding. Friends and relatives say he remains committed to ensuring that his child never experiences the pain and fear he endured.
Human-rights advocates argue that Koroma’s story highlights the dangers faced by those who resist Poro traditions, where forced initiation, physical abuse, and circumcision with unsterilized blades and knives persist despite public health warnings. Yet Sierra Leone has no explicit law criminalizing forced initiation into secret societies, even when the practices involve torture, non-consensual circumcision, or threats. These acts remain outside clear legal definitions, leaving a gap that allows many traditional abuses to go unpunished.
Although Sierra Leone recently passed the Child Rights Act, it still lacks specific provisions to criminalize or prescribe penalties for harmful initiation rites, such as non-medical circumcision with unsterilized instruments or torture during initiation. Legal commentators say the country remains obligated under international human-rights norms to protect children from such practices, but enforcement remains weak in regions where secret societies wield influence.
Relatives say Koroma now seeks only to live freely and to protect his son from the suffering that defined his own childhood.
