A BBC Africa Eye investigation has uncovered a clandestine network in Sierra Leone where practitioners claim to procure human body parts for so-called "juju" or black magic rituals, preying on widespread belief and systemic gaps in law enforcement.
A recent BBC Africa Eye investigation has revealed the operations of an underground trade in human body parts linked to ritualistic killings in Sierra Leone. The report documents undercover interactions with individuals claiming to be "juju" practitioners who offer to obtain human remains for clients seeking power, prosperity, or political success.
The investigation was prompted by the unresolved 2021 murder of 11-year-old Papayo Kalokoh in Makeni, whose mutilated body was found in a well. “They killed my child and now there is just silence,” his mother, Sallay Kalokoh, told the BBC, highlighting a pattern of ritual killings that often go uninvestigated in a country with only one pathologist for nearly nine million people.
Undercover journalists posing as a politician seeking power through sacrifice met two alleged practitioners. One, calling himself "Kanu," operated from a remote shrine in Kambia district, wore a red mask, and boasted of political clients across West Africa. He claimed a woman’s body could be procured for 70 million Leones (approx. $3,000) and showed what he alleged was a human skull. Another, "Idara," claimed to lead a network of 250 herbalists in the crime-ridden suburb of Waterloo, near Freetown.
The BBC handed evidence to police, leading to the arrest of Idara and two others. They were charged under anti-witchcraft laws but have since been granted bail. Authorities did not act on information regarding "Kanu."
Sheku Tarawallie, President of Sierra Leone’s Council of Traditional Healers, condemned such individuals as "diabolic" fraudsters who tarnish the reputation of legitimate herbalists. “We are healers, we are not killers,” he stated, blaming the trade on a lust for power and money.
The investigation also notes the case of the reporter’s own cousin, Fatmata Conteh, who was found murdered in May with signs of mutilation, underscoring the personal toll and pervasive fear in communities. Her autopsy, paid for by the family, was inconclusive, and no arrests have been made.
Experts say ritual murders are severely underreported and rarely solved due to resource constraints, deeply ingrained superstitions, and the misclassification of crimes. The BBC’s findings expose a grim economy of belief and violence, operating in the shadows of a nation still grappling with poverty and the legacy of civil war.
This report is based on documentation and findings from a BBC Africa Eye investigation.
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