By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
As the fight against Kush intensifies, the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Internal Affairs has recorded a total number of 296 convicted cases of the substance from January to February this year.
Addressing a Town Hall meeting on kush organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MICE) at Bintumani Conference Centre, Freetown on 2nd April 2024, Minister of Internal Affairs, Retired Major-General David Taluva emphasized that all those convicted for kush will not be granted bail no matter their status.
He said owners of facilities hosting kush dealers and smokers will also be charged in court but admitted that efforts at tackling the problem have been encouraging so far after an intense crackdown by the Police in January and February.
He explained that after they had formulated a Task Force to help tackle the spread of the substance, a toll-free line would be established to report incidences of kush.
The retired army officer spoke about law enforcement agencies working towards cutting off the Kush supply chain, to reduce accessibility, thereby getting youths to focus on doing meaningful things in their lives. Taluva admitted that the fight against the substance is not an easy one, and should be collectively championed by communities and other stakeholders, not government alone.
“The communities have made a serious effort towards the fight against the substance which shows that working together will make the fight easier,” he said.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), William Fayia Sellu in his statement took cognizance of the government’s bold step to strengthen the criminal justice system and was pleased that “the good thing towards the fight against the substance is that there has been a rehabilitation centre.”
He said the Police have stepped up the clampdown on kush dealers, and intercepted a container of drugs at the country’s Port brought in by one Umaru Kargbo, which led to the arrest of seven people who went to receive the said container.
The IGP referenced what Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh mentioned in his statement that anyone caught in kush business will not be granted bail by the Police or Court. He confirmed that three security personnel including a prison officer, police officer, and a military man have been brought to court for kush and they have been in custody for over a week “which shows that there is no sacred cow in the fight against the substance.”
“Even if my blood brother is caught dealing with kush, he will face the full force of the law,” he said.
He thanked the public and the media for the support they have shown to the SLP in the fight against the substance as police cannot be everywhere which warranted them to introduce community policing. He has tasked every Police Local Unit Commander (LUC) in the country to raid any known drug hideout.
The town hall meeting brought together government ministers, the media, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders.
Copyright (c) Politico Online (05/04/24)
