Human Leopards

The work records trials of men accused of belonging to a clandestine society that carried out ritualized killings in Sierra Leone, presenting court testimony, procedural details, and illustrative cases. It analyzes evidence about a fetish practice centered on human fat and evaluates competing explanations for the consumption of human flesh, while noting the limits of judicial inquiry and witness reliability. The author situates the crimes within local geography, secret societies, and customary beliefs, and argues that legal punishment alone will not suffice to eradicate the practice, recommending sustained measures such as education and organized religion to supplant harmful traditions.