Four years ago in central Sierra Leone, 11-year-old Papayo Kalokoh went to sell fish at the market.
Two weeks later, his mutilated body was discovered at the bottom of a well, with his vital organs, eyes and one arm removed as part of a black magic ritual.
His mum, Sallay, told BBC Africa: ‘They killed my child and now there is just silence.
‘We always tell our children to be careful. If you are selling, don’t go to a corner or take gifts from strangers. It happens frequently in this country.’
Black magic killings are on the rise in the West African country, where many believe human body parts can make charms more powerful.
Even with evidence and mutilated bodies, police don’t confirm these murders as ‘ritual killings’, it’s been found – the country is so underresourced that it’s hard to track down the people behind the killings.
BBC Africa went undercover in Sierra Leone to meet with a juju practitioner, who bragged about how busy his shrine was.
‘I was working with some big, big politicians in Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. We have our team. Sometimes during election time, at night, this place is full of people,’ he bragged.
He also showed off a human skull and showed the undercover reporter where he hangs human body parts.
When the reporter asked how much a limb from a woman would be, the man said it would cost around £2,500.
Tracking down missing and murdered people who are unwittingly part of this human trade is difficult as well, given that ritual murders aren’t recorded as a specific type of murder.
The true number of victims may not be fully known.
What measures are being taken to combat the rise of black magic-related killings?
Unlike other countries, such as Kenya and Nigeria, where those accused of witchcraft are often tortured or killed, Sierra Leone tries to provide support and care.
But belief in healing doctors, who often dabble in black magic as well, is so deeply rooted in the country’s culture that it’s hard to stop them.
Police try their best to stop the murders, but many have also expressed fear that they could be targeted with curses if they interfere.
Other instances of black magic murders
Other countries have also dealt with murders related to black magic. Last year, a daughter shared how she feared a ‘massive cover-up’ following her parents’ abduction and murder in South Africa.
Tony and Gillian Dinnis’s body parts were sold to a witch doctor in South Africa, according to a police file.
The couple, 73 and 78, were last seen on their remote farm in Middlerus, KwaZulu-Natal, in 2023.
Days later, their children began receiving messages in Zulu demanding an £85,000 ransom be paid into their mum’s bank account to secure their safe release.
One police officer speculated that when the ransom payment was not made, they were dismembered and their body parts sold as ‘muti’.
Body parts are sometimes used for medicinal – ‘muti’ – purposes, with ‘potions’ sold to customers to bring wealth or good luck or ward off ill-health.
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