By Janet A. Sesay
Justice Santigie Ibrahim Sorie Bangura of the High Court in Kono has sentenced a businessman, Yayah Bah, to twenty years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of Kush.
The accused was arraigned before the court on a single count charge of unlawful possession drugs, contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act of 2008.
According to the indictment, on 4th November 2025, at the Kono Judicial District in the Eastern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone, the convict was found in possession of a quantity of Kush contained in plastic.
State prosecutor, Charles Foday Sesay Esq., urged the court to accept the guilty plea of the accused and convict him accordingly.
In mitigation, Defence Counsel, Alpha Osman Kamara Esq. pleaded for leniency, describing the convict as a first-time offender and a young man with the potential for reform. He appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy by imposing a minimum sentence.
In his ruling, Justice Bangura stated that he had considered the plea in mitigation, particularly the fact that the convict did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty. However, he described the offence as serious and noted that such actions, along with those of others involved in similar crimes, have negatively impacted the lives of young people in Sierra Leone.
He emphasized the need for the court to take a firm stance against drug-related offences and accordingly sentenced the convict to twenty years imprisonment. The judge also ordered that the substance found in the possession of the convict be destroyed.