Mantenneh Nearly Killed for Condemning FGM & being a Politician

By Father Aliko

Reliable informations gathered by this Media Practitioner have revealed that Mantenneh N. Conteh who has been strongly condemning the cruel practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), commonly called in Sierra Leone the Bondo Society was nearly sent to her early grave by heartless society heads( soweis) for refusing to join their traditional practice and by politicians belonging to the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) for not only being a Councilor of the main opposition party, All Peoples Congress (APC) but for being an influential Executive member of the said political party. Councillor Mantenneh they say was the Chair Lady of an advocating organization called “The Way Forward” has been targeted by traditional leaders for exposing and preaching against the practice of FGM across the Country. Updates reaching this Media House revealed that she has been travelling across the Country sensitizing the girl child on the dangers associated with such a cruel practice. Before she was elected as a Councilor, Conteh was a fearless Activist condemning the barbaric act of coercing young girls to be initiated into the FGM( Bondo Society) , of which this particular ruling Government of President Julius Maada Bio is in favour of. Society heads and the ruling SLPP hierarchy have been using money to convince young girls to join the said society, as poverty is the order of the day. It went to the extent that innocent girls were given tips just to accept the practice and give in to their inhumane traditional initiation they used to refer to as culture. Unfortunately, it is said that Mantenneh and her aforementioned organization became serious targets by both the Government and traditional leaders(soweis) for sabotaging their culture and the practice that had been in existence for quite a long time. She was relentlessly pursued to the extent that she had to narrowly escaped for her Life to an unknown destination. Her daughter they say was chased to be initiated since her Mum was nowhere to be found. She was left with no better option than to run with her siblings from one unknown location to another. Close neighbours revealed to this Writer that Mantenneh Conteh became a strong Advocate for FGM because she is also a victim, who has been bleeding excessively whenever giving birth, as a result of forceful initiation and torture.

However, it was captured that soon after the Presidential and General elections in May 2018, Mantenneh and the sitting Mayor of Freetown went on official trip when they were attacked and seriously beaten by thugs hired by the ruling Government officials outside the Freetown City Council Administrative office on Wallace Johnson Street for being active Members of the main opposition party, All Peoples Congress (APC). What made matters worse was the fact that the office of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is closed to that of the Council. It was updated that serious tensions mounted as members and supporters of the ruling SLPP were throwing stones at supporters and members of the APC and using all sorts of abusive words against them. This Writer, through research was able to unearthed that the 10th, 11th and 12th August 2021 incidents made things worst for Activist and Politician Mantenneh. It was so when peaceful youths were demonstrating against the ruling Government on issues related to unabated economic hardship, freedom of speech, unlawful arrests and detentions of the main opposition party Members. The Police and thugs of the ruling SLPP government raided her residence on 42 Pademba Road and vandalized her home but fortunately she had moved with her devastating family to a colleague Councillor’s residence somewhere around Indian Temple in the West End of Freetown. It was also captured that in July 2021, her elder brother Momoh Conteh who was the Koinadugu District Chairman and former Chairman of the National Telecommunications Company (NaTCOM) was killed in a gruesome car accident for been influential to the youthful population. Her cousin, Abu Bakarr Conteh was also killed in cold blood.He was a vibrant Member of Parliament who was killed in September 2023.

By and large, this Journalist was intimated that Activist and Councillor Mantenneh was arrested and detained in Police cells for four(4) days during Voters registration for the 2023 Elections for allegedly interrupting the process and for advocating for Members and supporters of her party to be allowed to take part in the registration. She was however released on the fifth(5) day. Information reaching this Press disclosed that her family were severely embarrassed, properties were carted away and some flee to unknown destinations just to save their lives. All of those unfortunate happenings occured due to the stubborn nature of Conteh sacrificing to die for what she believes in. As the situation worsened, she first relocated to Falaba, Koinadugu District, with her immediate family. Mantenneh N. Conteh continued to move in hiding from one undisclosed location to another until she finally left the shores of Sierra Leone to an unknown destination on the 25th June 2023. That occurred just after the General elections ended on the 24th June 2023.In conclusion, this Media Practitioner was made to understand that both the ruling Government and society heads (soweis) are in desperate search of her and are determined to waste her Life at anything she is found anywhere in Sierra Leone.