Sierra Leone Traditional Healers demand inclusion in the Constitutional Review process for proactive sanity

Considering the intensive and continuous incidences and occurrences of untimely deaths, as well as monotonous inflictions of artificial sicknesses and diseases on innocent lives across the country by ill motivated citizens and their foreign allies, a sect of Traditional Healers in the north part of the country is taking the onus and opportunity of demanding a meaningful inclusion of their Union’s activities in the ongoing Constitutional Review process to more or less pave a way forward for their authoritative and proactive operations for better and reliable chances for  sanity against the menace and perhaps, the inherited ills.  (Photo: In 2010, President Koroma gives traditional staff to Herbalist President, Dr.Kabba)

It could be recalled that the President of the Republic, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma had sometime on August 9, 2010 launched the Sierra Leone Indigenous Traditional Healers Union (SLINTHU) at the National Stadium in Freetown as a means of complimenting affordable health care system in the country. The President in his speech made typical examples on advanced countries across the globe like Ghana, Nigeria, India, China etc.  These countries he noted, work closely in consonant and side by side with medial doctors, traditional medicine and traditional doctors, but more or less, in a much professional way for the good of their nations and citizens.

Additionally, President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma was much keen to acknowledging what he called the unacceptable practices of untimely deaths commonly taking place across the nation. He was optimistic that mechanisms against the inhumane practice be put in place to combat the practice. This is perhaps, more or less why he was so quick to acknowledge the tireless efforts and the coincidental campaign on attitude change that is been propagated by the Herbalist Union President, Dr. Alhaji Suliaman Kabba who has been spending his personal resources since 2007 to date by administering and putting under strict control, his membership into a much professional way of  the herbal  profession.

Since then, a bulk of Sierra Leoneans and non-citizens across the country have to some extent, been much grateful over  Dr. Alhaji Suliaman Kabba’s patriotic ventures despite the challenges he faces. Before the coming of Dr. Kabba and his membership which he has completely sanitized, groomed and converted into professional and non-killer herbalists, there was a strategic location in the east part of the capital of Freetown called Up-Gun Turntable used to be an open area where wicked individuals and co-Herbalists used to gather to visibly buy and sell the dangerous killer-herbal missiles such as “witch-guns, fangay, korrteh, etc. Most of these evil instruments were cheaply sold at not more than ten thousand Leones, an equivalent of perhaps a Dollar or two. Meanwhile, it is no secret that most of those killer zones and their doers have been completely evaded and the practice abolished to at least a minimal existence of the witch-gun sale and practice in general.

However, with Dr. Alhaji Suliaman Kabba’s screening, certification and registration methods of his membership into the Union had affected some decentralization strategies wherein the Union’s presence is widely felt today within and around the interiors and suburbs in the provinces against the menace. Evidently, by 2009 and 2010 after some seriousness had been effected in the Union’s activities, came a split wherein some aggrieved members decided to boycott by forming their own groups and Associations which, by virtue of a spelled rights in the 1991 Constitution that clearly mandates the free will of one to “freely associate or dissociate him or herself,” further energized the breakaway sect for further destruction and acrimony against the general good of the common and innocent Sierra Leonean, it suddenly emerged. That has however been one of the advantages of the evil minded cabals against the disadvantage of the well meaning citizens who could always mean good for either  a total gathering, Association, Community, society or the country in general.

Considering the relentless and persistence of the wicked who pursue with their inhumane and evil practices through the monotonous and relentless  destructions of innocent lives for one selfish reason or the other, typically in provincial setups where one could see some  meaningful lives been destroyed for funny and non-beneficial gains, Ishaka Kalokoh, as Northern Region Chairman and his team say they have been faced with series of challenges and constrains despite every efforts to sanitize their region from the menace.

Countless untimely deaths and ritual killings and incidences have taken place in that part of the country unlike in many other parts of the country. But thank God for some of the collective efforts and patriotic collaborations of the Police and some meaningful Paramount Chiefs, says Ishaka. But our acute zests and desires are compounded by the prime lack of the authoritative submissions and utilities like mobility and resources. These have to do with some matters that Ishaka noted, are usually influenced by either some Paramount Chiefs, Politicians, the rich and top civil servants, regardless of the violated offences, evidences and the less privilege’s rights being abused or manipulated on certain matters. Witch crafts cases Ishaka added, are not often, neither commonly charged to courts since there has been no liberal provisions for such in all of our existing constitutions. If they do, it is basically by our relentless investigations, Ishaka boasted. To some extent he added, such cases are said to be independently tried in traditional courts wherein  he said, most of the Chiefs selfishly compromise either by levying minor fines such as gallons of palm oil, goats, sheep, bushels of rice and some amount of moneys at the detriment of the oppressed or the victims, adding that some chiefs or assigned local authorities do less or nothing to set sound precedents against the continued menace, Ishaka complains.

Ironically he stressed, through the establishment of our national Union followed by the series of  signed memorandum of understanding with major stakeholders such as the Council of Paramount Chiefs, the media, the Sierra Leone Police Force, The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, the judiciary, Civil Society Organizations etc, we have in that vein been burdened with what he called “multi-dimensional” responsibilities and obligations to some extent that our personal resources have to been involved  regardless the challenges and constrains involved, he clarified.

Imagine about a month ago at Makalie town in the north part of the country he cited, a young man, Mohamed with five children was rashly killed by a  rival to girlfriend, one Alhaji Adamu who happens to be a businessman in the township.  Adamu according to Chairman Ishaka, hired a witch-gunner called Gbongbor who was also a resident of the township. They agreed to kill the innocent young man  at the cost of five hundred thousand Leones but had received an advance payment of three hundred thousand Leones which is  an equivalent sum  of about eighty or more US Dollars with the pretext that the deceased Mohamed, had long overcome the love of his girl friend against his wish. Another matter also involved the Headmaster of the TDEC primary School in Magburaka, Mr. Teddy Kamara who narrowly escaped death after some witch-gunners were also hired from Kamakwie in the far north of the country by a section Chief and his  allies over a land controversy at Masorkoh village in the outskirts of Magburaka  town. All of these cases and many others, but with some been  charged to court primarily by our efforts because, the Police alone cannot independently investigate witch craft and witch-gun cases, Ishaka dilated. If those cases would have been solely left in the jurisdictions of some of the Chiefs he stretched, most of them would  have been overturned either by what he called, the prevalence of selective justice or otherwise Ishaka lavished, adding that  justice would have rather been denied or delayed and as far as the Bombali Sebora Chiefdom Paramount Chief, P.C  Kassangha  II and team concerned, we have been loaded with little burdens because P.C Kassangha has always been uncompromising to most of these ills and inhumane practices, the Chairman stretched.  Therefore, if we are incorporated or included into the national Constitution Review process for authoritative operations, most of the lawlessness and inhumane wickedness will be put under strict authority and control as a means of complementing national security and  development for a better Sierra Leone, basically for generations yet unborn, Ishaka assured this reporter.

By Alie Mozart Sesay, Makeni

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