By Ralph Simeon Sesay
Many would be wondering whether some traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Bonthe District and other parts in the South and the East of the country are sabotaging President Bio’s regime. These people seem to be involving in a number of activities that go contrary towards the maintenance of peace, which the President has vowed to maintain.
Some sections in the Bonthe and Pujehun Districts have continued to be on record of staging/using secret societies to kidnap peaceful citizens. Secret societies have also been allegedly used to commit rape and other human rights abuses in some of these areas.
Just as the dust was settling at Sahn Malen in the Pujehun District, the Sierra Leone Police is grappling with serious secret society violations in Matru Jong and Imperri Chiefdoms in the same Bonthe District. Traditional leaders, including the Speaker of Imperri chiefdom and the Paramount chief of Norgorboh, all in Bonthe District, are currently helping the Police with allegations of having used the poro to commit heinous crimes.
Opposition detractors have used the ugly trend in the President’s homeland to castigate the government. The Sierra Leone Police should decisively deal with this trend with a view to nip it in the bud. From all intents and purposes Bonthe should support the President by abiding to the laws of the country just as they had massively voted him to power.
Engaging in lawless activities just because they voted the President should be met with a heavy hand. Preliminary investigations conducted by this medium have revealed that all of the issues under police investigation have to do with the poro society and leaders of these societies have allegedly conspired with the traditional authorities to organize secret initiations even when government had declared a ban on these secret societies due to the Sahn Malen upheaval.
The custodians of the law, in those areas, in the person of the Paramount Chief, have failed to uphold the law just because they themselves have chose to sabotage the government.
Government should set the brightest example if even it deserves dethroning some Paramount chiefs. This is to avoid a situation where other traditional authorities in other parts of the country would also attempt to do the same.
The situation at hand would serve as a deterrent that the law is no respecter of persons. Voting for President Julius Maada Bio also means respecting the laws he has vowed to protect and uphold.
Is Bonthe District Sabotaging President Bio?
