A 19-year-old man was arrested on June 4, 2026 in the Gbessia district of Conakry, Guinea (West Africa). He had been presenting himself as a traditional healer, or marabout. Police accuse him of repeatedly raping a 16-year-old girl under the guise of a healing ritual, impregnating her, and retaining the hair he shaved from her head during the ceremony as leverage — telling her she would be bewitched if she ever spoke. She stayed silent until her brother discovered she was pregnant, according to Guineematin.com (Guinean news site).
The Complaint
Naby Laye Sylla, the victim’s brother, noticed his minor sister — identified only by her initials M.S.S. — was pregnant and filed a complaint at the Gbessia central police station. Investigators identified Abdoulaye Bangoura and took him into custody.
The Ritual
Bangoura allegedly carried out the assaults under the pretense of a healing ritual. He reportedly shaved the girl’s head, kept the hair, and told her it gave him power over her: if she revealed what had happened, he would curse her. The assaults were repeated. She became pregnant.
The Confession
Questioned at the Gbessia station, Bangoura confessed to the acts and acknowledged paternity. He will be brought before the Tribunal de première instance de Mafanco (lower criminal court) on charges expected to include rape of a minor resulting in pregnancy, fraud, insults, and threats, under the Guinean Penal Code.
Fake Marabouts in Conakry
The case fits a recurring pattern. In March 2025, the Dixinn criminal court convicted a self-proclaimed marabout named Boubacar Barry on fraud charges and sentenced him to six months in prison. Barry had presented himself as a “luck-bearer.” He asked a victim to place 4,900 dollars in an envelope, claiming a “mystical medicine” needed to be applied to the money to bring good fortune. The envelope, when opened, contained only scraps of paper, according to Guineematin.com of March 4, 2025.
“African mystical power exists, but it should not serve as a pretext for fraudulent acts,” the public prosecutor told the Dixinn court during the Barry trial, according to Guineematin.com of March 4, 2025.
[…] A similar scheme — using the threat of spiritual possession to isolate a woman in a private ritual — had already produced a conviction in Guinea in early June 2026, in a case involving a traditional healer in Conakry. […]
[…] sexuelle, matériel de chantage — n’est pas propre à la région. En juin 2026, un faux marabout en Guinée avait été condamné pour avoir violé une adolescente sous couvert de …, et conservé ses cheveux comme moyen de […]
[…] pattern is not unusual in the region. In June 2026, a fake marabout in Conakry, Guinea, was jailed for raping a teenager while posing as a spiritual heale… and kept her hair as a witchcraft […]