By Prince J Musa in Kenema
Police in the Eastern Region town of Daru, Jawai chiefdom in Kailahun district have on the 1st March 2021 arrested 15 young people at the palm tree farm during an initiation ceremony for new members into their cult.
The Local Unit Commander (LUC) Daru Division Chief Superintendent of Police Sheku B. Kamara told Politico that the police got intelligent that there was a group of people gathered in the bush at one of the palm tree plantations performing some illegal ceremony at night.
He said that upon receipt of the information, the police went to the scene of the crime where fifteen of them were arrested and taken to the station for interrogation and questioning in respect of their unlawful assembly at the plantation at night.
The LUC disclosed that among those that were arrested, six were girls and were arrested at around 11:00 pm with all of them undressed and going around fire flame while others were put under some rigorous punishments.
He maintained that some of them were put under torture and punishment in the form of initiation which is against the law for which all of them were apprehended and taken to the police station.
He said: “We are going to charge them for unlawful assembly, lottery, and public order Act including cultism. All of them are school-going pupils at junior and senior secondary school from Daru, Jawai chiefdom Kailahun district”.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Alimamy Kargbo confirmed that the accused persons have made their first appearance in court before Magistrate Wurie and have all been remanded in custody and the matter adjoined to the 10th March 2021 for further hearing.
Sergeant Kargbo added that relatives of the accused persons are pleading for the intervention of government and other stakeholders for their children to be admitted to bail.
Mariama Kanneh, a parent to one of the accused persons told Politico that she considered her child’s involvement in such acts as a disgrace to their family, adding that “we are only begging the government and the Court to have mercy on them as they have learned their lessons.’’
In his reaction to the incident, Paramount Chief of Jawai Chiefdom Kailahun District Musa Ngombukla Kallon said “I will not tolerate any lawlessness in the chiefdom especially from children who’re expected to focus on their education and not involve in any lawless behavior.
He added that “this is just an example that some parents don't monitor their children properly” and therefore commended the police for a good job.
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