Clash over Forceful Bondo Society Initiation of Daughter…
PASTOR LAVALIE TRAUMATIZED
Reports reaching us that on August 15, 2024, Pastor Lavalie – a renowned preacher of the gospel, and his kinsmen/relatives led by his father had violent clashes over matters relating to Secret Society. According to sources close to the family, the Lavalie family is a ruling family, which is deeply entrenched in the practice of this tradition. As the only son to his father, the family has vowed to initiate her daughters into the Bondo society as their tradition and culture demands. Sources revealed that Pastor Lavalie’s eldest daughter is the most appropriate female child to succeed her great-grandmothers because both grandmothers of Pastor Lavalie were Sowei (leaders of the societies) thus the traditional leaders have demanded that she should be initiated at all costs to succeed her great grandmothers.
Further investigation revealed that it was because of this barbaric act, coupled with the practice of other traditional rituals and animal sacrifices, that made him traumatize in 2006 which eventually led to his mental breakdown. He later found solace in Christianity and ever since then he has become a staunch preacher of the infallible word of God, though his father is a Muslim and a respecter of such practices. According to close relatives, this whole incident started on February 4, 2023, when Pastor Lavalie’s eldest daughter sent a voice message to her grandmother to come and rescue her from the house of her grandfather, because she had overheard a discussion from a group of women who had plan to torture her when they take her to the society bush because according to them, she does not respect them. This created fear in the daughter and the immediate person she could reach out to at that time for rescue is her grandmother. The grandmother now informed her son (Pastor Lavalie), who had to travel that day to confront his father. Pastor Lavalie’s father admitted to his plan and that Pastor ought to know better that the family is a custodian of culture and that no one is a sacred cow or exempted from practicing it. Lavalie reported the matter to the police and other local authorities but did not get support because they believed it was their tradition and it should be upheld.
Meanwhile, report has it that Pastor Lavalie, with the help of another church member, succeeded in ensuring that the plan did not hold. Her daughter was removed from his father’s custody to prevent the reoccurrence of such ugly incident. Report has it that despite reporting the matter to the police his father has made several attempts to clandestinely get hold of his daughters with the aid of some elderly women in the family to take them to the society bush. This attempt continued until when school closed this year, the father, together with other elderly women, finally came to request that the children should be taken to the place of initiation. To their surprise, the children were nowhere to be found, and that resulted in the violent clash between Pastor Lavalie, his kinsmen/relatives and his father. The father has considered this act as a lack of respect, thus, he has vowed and threatened to do everything humanly and spiritually possible to ensure his grandchildren are initiated. This incident has further angered the members of the secret society, who saw Pastor Lavalie’s refusal as a challenge to the gods and a sacrilege, and as such, his lack of cooperation will not go unpunished. Unfortunately, these traditional practices continue unabated with the blessings of politicians, as they ensure getting votes. These politicians, both male and female, sponsor such initiation ceremonies. Thus, they are less inclined to take any action against the practice.