By Richmond B Tholley
A 14-year-old schoolgirl in Eastern Sierra Leone has reportedly died after being forcefully taken into a “Bondo bush” and initiated against her will, an impeccable source from the Sierra Leone Police said.
The Criminal Investigations Department of the Tankoro Police Station in Koidu city, the Police source said, is currently investigating to establish the fact leading to the alleged murder of 14-year-old Theresa Tarawally formally of Kainsay area, in Koidu city, whose death is said to have occurred after she underwent female genital mutilation.
One Fatima Turay, who was taking care of the deceased, the source said, confessed to the police that some heads of the bondo society in the area recently accused late Theresa Tarawally of entering their Bondo bush.
Theresa was not a member of the society, and the penalty for such an offense is for the victim to be initiated.
The girl, the source said, was forcefully initiated as tradition demands.
Since Sunday 8th January 2023, that’s just after her initiation into the Bondo society, the poor girl was complaining of neck pain she allegedly sustained when hit by what they say are evil people, according to the source.
Turay, our source said, told the police the girl did not tell her who these evil people were until her death on 9 January 2023.
The family had wanted to secretly bury the girl but a citizen, the source said, had to inform the Police about the incident.
“A team of detectives quickly rushed to the burial home and intercepted the corpse, which they took to the Koidu Government hospital for postmortem examination,” the source said.
According to the autopsy report, the girl died as a result of an hypovolaemic shock leading to chronic blood loss (prolonged bleeding) for 14 days due to Female Genital Mutilation.
The head of the “Bondo society” or “sowei” is reportedly on the run. It is unclear whether the police are having suspects in their custody as the investigation unfolds.
