Prince Abubakarr Sesay is the rightful heir and Crown Prince of Bandakoro village, a traditional chiefdom in the Northern region of Sierra Leone, but his wicked uncle is seeking to end his life. This is the story of Abubakarr Sesay.
It is a story that is all too familiar across Sierra Leone, where people vested with traditional authority act with impunity and give orders that are in stark contrast with the rule of law or their authority. In Sierra Leone, people fear and respect traditional leaders than those elected into office. Because of their position they are also respected by religious leaders who see their power as originating from God and feared by the unbelievers because they believe that the powers of darkness are vested in traditional rulers.
After his grandfather and traditional Chief Pa Sorieba Sesay passed away, as per tradition, the late chief’s eldest son, Pa Sanpha Sesay became King and all the power, pomp, prestige and properties associated with the crown were passed onto him to continue his family’s hold on the traditional monarchy. Sanpha was expected to pass everything over to Abubakarr his eldest son.
But in the true sense of family intrigue and political drama, Chief Sanpha Sesay’s younger brother, Pa Saidu Sesay, had his older brother killed. The allegation is that Pa Saidu was jealous of his brother’s inheritance and out of envy and jealousy bumped him off so that everything he had inherited would pass over to him. But even at that, traditional norms only allow him to act as a Regent until his late brother’s oldest son would become chief after reaching the age of maturity. But Pa Saidu had a more sinister idea for his late brother’s family.
Nightwatch was reliably informed by someone very close community members who are also very knowledgeable with the drama that ensued after the death of Chief Sanpha Sesay. As a member of many of the most powerful and feared secret societies in the country, Pa Saidu Sesay, as head of the feared and dreaded Gbangbani Secret Society, wielded a power that was more feared and respected than the title of traditional chief. With the title comes the relationship with powerful members of society not limited to the head of state, the heads of the armed forces and police force, and ranking members of the judiciary, where any case brought up against a man like Pa Saidu Sesay is sure to either meet a sudden death or takes so long to resolve that the plaintiff would feel reluctant to continue out of frustration.
Not completely convinced about how her husband died, Crown Prince Abubakarr Sesay’s mother, Marie Sesay together with her late husband’s best friend (Uncle Pa Alpha) consulted an oracle who informed them that the late chief’s death came at the hands of his brother, Pa Saidu Sesay, who the traditional doctor said killed his brother to inherit his title and properties. Pa Saidu was powerful and feared; no one could confront him. But after his mother and Pa Alpha informed him and his sisters Zainab and Nana about how their father passed away, Abubakarr was said to have gotten so upset that he confronted his father’s brother about why he had killed his father. A fight ensued during which the much stronger and older Pa Saidu succeeded in throwing Abubakarr to the ground and informed him that if he did not leave something awful would happen to him.
After that incident Abubakarr, who up to that point acted as normal as any normal person, started showing signs of mental illness even picking food from the ground and in dustbins. Concerned for his son’s mental and physical health Abubakarr’s mother and his father’s best friend Pa Alpha took him to the same traditional healer who tried all at his disposal to heal Abubakarr, who was warned not to continue challenging his powerful uncle, Pa Saidu Sesay.
This medium was informed that when Pa Saidu saw that Abubakarr had recovered from his sudden mental attack he hired local thugs to kill Abubakarr. Unaware of the plot Abubakarr was reportedly kidnapped by a group of seven young men while he was out walking in the surrounding bush. He was blindfolded but heard the young men saying that the chief wanted him dead and thrown in the river. Abubakarr related that he was taken deep into the bush where he was severely assaulted with sticks. He said that one of the young men protested against his killing and instead suggested that Abubakarr be assaulted further and left for dead, adding that they would tell Pa Saidu Sesay that they were successful in their mission and that Abubakarr was swimming with the fishes as they were instructed.
After two days in the bush Abubakarr mostly crept and managed to find his way to his late father’s friend Uncle Pa Alpha’s house from where he contacted his worried mother and sisters who didn’t know what had happened to him. Abubakarr said that that was the last time he saw his mother and two sisters who are still missing today.
After Abubakarr was treated by the same traditional healer he informed his Uncle Pa Alpha what had happened including that his biological uncle and chief Pa Saidu had hired the killers who changed their mind about murdering him. This led Pa Alpha to decide to whisk him out of the chiefdom and country, as we are informed that the Uncle called one of his children residing in Guinea to make room for and accommodate Abubakarr whose uncle the chief was busy searching for him after learning that he had survived his ordeal in the bush at the hands of his hired thugs. There was no one to report the matter as the police, army and government protected Pa Saidu who is also head of their traditional secret society. Abubakarr left Sierra Leone on 6th and arrived in Guinea on 7th June, 2023.
After two months in Guinea, and since Pa Saidu wouldn’t back down from his mission to exterminate his late brother’s family, the father’s best friend ordered his child in Guinea to arrange for a passport for Abubakarr to leave Guinea for much further afield to prevent him tracking him down in Guinea. That was when this medium was informed that Abubakarr found his way to Turkey.
From Turkey he made it to Greece where he is seeking asylum. Abubakarr is afraid to come back to Sierra Leone not just because of his very powerful uncle Pa Saidu Sesay but also because of the other powerful people not limited to the head of state, the heads of the army and police are part of the powerful and feared Gbangbani society also renowned for murdering people without facing justice. If and when Abubakarr is located in Sierra Leone he would be arrested and locked up; or worse yet, killed.