The High Court of Sierra Leone has opened proceedings in a case involving the alleged forced Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) of a woman in Freetown, with five individuals standing trial on charges of conspiracy and causing grievous bodily harm.
The case is being heard before Justice Tonia Barnett following an indictment stemming from an incident reportedly carried out on 7 May 2026 at Quarry Moyeba Community in Kissy.
According to the prosecution, the complainant alleged that she was forcibly initiated into the Bondo Society by a group of soweis, where she was subjected to female genital cutting without her consent.
She further claimed that she was held against her will after the initiation but later managed to escape and reported the matter to the Ross Road Police Station on 28 May 2026, prompting a police investigation.
The accused persons are Mariama Kargbo, also known as Kuttie; Ramatu Turay, alias Waka Pa Dem; Mabinty Bangura, alias Sampa; Adama Kamara, also known as Nanday Porto or Nandewa; and Abubakarr Fadika, alias DJ Bakarr.
Prosecutors allege that the five conspired to unlawfully mutilate the complainant’s clitoris, causing grievous bodily harm, an offence charged under Section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861.
The trial is among the few criminal proceedings in Sierra Leone to reach the High Court over allegations of forced FGM. While FGM remains widely practised in parts of the country as part of initiation into the Bondo Society, Sierra Leone does not currently have a specific law banning the practice. However, existing criminal laws may be invoked where consent is absent or where serious bodily harm is alleged.
Justice Barnett adjourned the matter to 20 July 2026, when the court is expected to continue with the cross-examination of witnesses.
