By Janet A Sesay
As ‘Kush’ becomes life-threatening, the forces of law and order are ready to come down hard on the peddlers to cut down the death toll.
In a match that ended at the Cotton Tree in Freetown last Saturday, Police Chief, William Fayia Sellu has issued strong warning to Kush traffickers and addicts to end the illegal trade or face the full force of the law. “We are preparing to arrest those people who sell ‘kush’ across the country,” he warned.
The police chief assured the public that the ‘kush’ fight would be laid to rest as effort was being made towards achieving such goal.
The drug law enforcement starts within the police agency as close to 30 police officers have been dismissed from the force for ‘Kush’ related offences and same time brought before the courts.
Some police officers are in custody in various detention facilities across the country for ‘Kush.’
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Kadiatu Kamara and the Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Patrick Gibrilla also took part in the route match to eradicate ‘kush’ from Sierra Leone.
‘kush,’ according to the police chief, is not only a threat to Sierra Leone but also to other countries but Sierra Leone’s bold attempt in speaking up makes the difference.
“Kush has eaten up societies because they are ashamed to speak about it,” he said adding that the declaration of the national health emergency by the President showed that people were committed to the fight against ‘kush.’
The emergency is one of the concrete steps government has taken to tackle the ‘Kush’ menace as well as strengthening of drug laws. Anyone caught with the drug could spend behind bars for several years sometime face life imprisonment.
He said public education scheme was not a new thing for the police as the Community Relations personnel had been sensitising the people on the negative effect of drugs on a daily basis.
The police chief also reminded Sierra Leoneans about the havoc wreaked by Ebola and Corona and ‘Kush’ should not be allowed to flourish in the country.
He called on the people of Sierra Leone especially community stakeholders to join the fight against ‘Kush’ which, he said, should be a national approach.
The police IG commended police commanders in various divisions and units across the country for their role in rolling back ‘Kush’ from Sierra Leone.
Mr Sellu also called on parents to keep a watchful eye on their children adding that it is a “very big fight” and everyone should come in.
Religious leaders, he went on, also should be involved in the anti-Kush campaign if Sierra Leone is to survive and succeed as a nation.
Looking back at the result got so far, the police chief is impressed that much has been done as the ‘Kush’ price has shot up as the supply chain has been cut off and the traffickers put off from business. However, remains to be done to ensure a zero-tolerance strategy.
‘Kush,’ he said, was not produced in the country but imported and that commanders had tightened security regulations in the country and wanted to assure the people that the supply route had been blocked.
In various communities in Sierra Leone, police officers are embarking on serious raids and patrols to neutralise the ‘Kush’ threat.
He commended the two ministers for working with the police in the fight against the deadly drug adding that there would be concrete pillars especially strong law enforcement to remove ‘Kush’ from Sierra Leone.
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Kadiatu Kamara also appreciated the Police IG for his relentless effort in fighting against the drug.
Sierra Leone, the minister said, had lost two generations and could not afford to lose a third one to ‘Kush.’
“The country has gone through Corona, Ebola, war and mudslide and has not been healed from the stress; if we allowed Kush in the country there would not be anyone to become generational leaders,” she said adding that they were appointed by President Julius Maada Bio because he believed that they could pass on the message to young people.
The tourism Minister also expressed her readiness to serve the country not only in her ministry but in every other capacity she could to ensure that the country moved forward.
Before ‘Kush,’ she said, the United States, for a long time, had declared Sierra Leone a drug state and that such had a negative impact on tourism.
“Tourists would not come to a land of zombies,” she stressed while calling on the police to be firm in their fight against the lethal drug.
Much of their work, the minister said, would entail guiding young people in their communities aimed at discouraging tem from drug abuse.
She also appealed to the youth to support the police in the eradication of ‘Kush’ from Sierra Leone.
Also Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Gibrilla Sesay also said engaging communities in the ‘Kush’ fight is sending a clear signal that no one would be spared if caught.
He appreciates the police chief for enlisting their cooperation and support in the fight against ‘Kush’ adding that Leone Rock is also engaging the youth in their communities to dissuade them from substance abuse.
Constable Alieu Sannoh who produced a song about the dangers of ‘kush’ in an interview with this medium said music was one of the fastest medium to communicate with people.
“Music sends message to the soul of an individual and helps transformation faster,” he said.
Constable Sannoh appealed to the people to listen to the music as it was a good advice given to them about the dangers of ‘Kush.’
The music, he said, informed the people that the fight against ‘kush’ was everybody’s fight and they had succeeded in the venture as current trend shows that ‘Kush’ consumption rate had dropped considerably.