By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The People of Niawa Chiefdom in Kenema district, have expressed fear over increased reports of missing residents within the chiefdom with some later found dead in the bush.
The situation led to a stakeholders’ meeting summoned by the paramount chief of the chiefdom, PC Mariama Tamia Jaward on the 7 May 2021 during which she strongly warned all chiefdom authorities and their subjects against involvement in any act of ritual murder within her chiefdom.
Addressing the people and government officials at the meeting, PC Jaward said she was concerned about the security situation with growing reports of people going missing. She made reference to two elderly people who went missing in Sondumei village with one resurfacing later after living in the bush.
She spoke of one old woman who also went missing at Kuarakor village in the Niawa chiefdom and whose body was later discovered, causing panic.
“I want the security sector to take full control of the chiefdom to combat the ugly situation”, Chief Jaward said.
She said the Police were called in to look at the body and they found no parts missing but advised that everyone must become each other’s keeper. The chief said the disappearances had created so much fear that even some school children were no longer going to school. She called on the government to address the situation by sending officials who can give out a strong message to people who might be involved in “dangerous” acts.
She disclosed that there was nothing like foul play in the case of the other old man who went to the bush but later appeared at night. The man told people he was tired and passed the night in the bush.
The Resident Minister East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma told the people of Niawa chiefdom that the leadership of the chiefdom had expressed dissatisfaction over reports of people going missing. He said the authorities would not sit by and watch instability occur in the chiefdom saying the focus of the government was to ensure development was rolled out to all the chiefdoms and therefore anybody - be they local authorities or otherwise - that attempted to undermine those developments would be considered as enemy of this nation and would face the law.
”Any local authority involved in human sacrifice will find themselves on the wrong side of this earth”, the Minister vowed.
He said there would be no compromise over ritual murder and especially those traditional herbalists that demand human body parts should desist from such because as resident minister he would be in touch with the paramount chiefs and that any report of people missing would see the local authorities suspended and then investigated.
The minster urged the youth, especially the bike riders, to identify and report the presence of any strange person in their community.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police East Mustapha Solomon Kambeh said that as a force their mandate was to protect life and property and would not hesitate to hit harder on any act of ritual murder or cannibalism. He also said local authorities would also be taking in for questioning in any place where someone was reported missing.
The head teacher of National Islamic Primary school at Sondumei, Sumalia Kanneh drew the attention of the officers that since the issue of missing people became alarming, for over two weeks schools had not been effective in the chiefdom as parents were afraid to release their children to go to school, and said if the situation was not put under control, it would affect the children greatly.
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