By Alieu Amara Suwu
The Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone has summoned the Inspector General of the Police, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Deputy General Manager of the Sierra Leone Port Authority, Yankuba Bio, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Sertie Kanneh, the National Revenue Authority, and the Ministry of Social Welfare to discuss the security implications of Kush and how the young youths can be saved.
This subcommittee was chaired by the Deputy Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie, who was also the mover of the motion in the well on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
The Deputy Leader of Government Business said that the meeting was crucial to deciding the future of the young generation. He urged all parties to make sincere submissions regarding the issue at hand, stating that the outcome of the meeting will warrant the declaration of a public health emergency by the President.
He further said that the head of the port is expected to give a rundown of their security mechanisms because most of these drugs are transited through the port.
But the position of the Executive Director of the Port was that they were there to provide an enabling environment for all players to perform their legal duties, including those of the NRA and the police. This statement implicated the NPA as a question was posed to the Director General of the NRA, madam Jeneba Parker, by the chief whip of the government in Parliament, Hon. Dixon Rogers, about how the NRA collects taxes on all their routes in the country. And if all of these routes of the NRA are bypassed, how do these drugs get into the country?
Responding to these questions, the Director General, Madam Parker, clearly stated that they are trying their best to collect tax and also to expose contraband goods but lack the capacity to do a 100 percent check. And that they only rely on intelligence to trace illegal goods or drugs along those routes.
With this approach, it is almost impossible to crack down on kush importers, the Honorable Dixon Rogers stated.
A response from the Inspector General of Police, William Faya Sellu, is that the police are working tirelessly, going after importers, but their efforts are being frustrated by the judiciary. He said that, on several occasions, whenever they arrest a drug importer and have them charged, the judiciary grants them bail and allows not only the effort of the police to go in vein but also allows these criminals to continue with their disastrous actions in the country. With this statement, the Honorable Dixon Rogers suggested that the presence of the judiciary is needed in the conversation as the allegations against them are huge. Despite the challenges faced by the police, the IGP explained several gains they have made so far, both in the quay and at the airport, including the recent confiscation and burning of over one hundred and two cartons of tramadol. And several quantums of marshmallows at the port.
Speaking on the impact of this on young people, the Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sertie Kanneh, stated that they have been collecting data on the Kush menace since 2019, and it is a fact that the number of mental health cases at their psychiatric home is on a steady increase, stating that in 2023, about 2,955 cases of mental illness were recorded, 1,865 were as a result of Kush, and all are between the ages 10 and 35 years. What was factual, according to the chief whip of the main opposition, Honorable Abdul Karim Kamara, was that the most important institution, which is at the center of this fight, is being made dormant with only about 12 staff and no vehicle to carry them around to dispense their responsibilities. Also with a budgetary allocation of only 1,000,000 Leones annually. He questioned how a result against Kush could be actualized with a lack of capacity by the national drug law enforcement agency. With this submission, the head of the NDLEA, Andrew J. Kaikai, clearly stated that the government should capacitate the institution, and if he fails to deliver, let him be stacked. With all of these statements from these institutions concerned, the statements from the honorable members present clearly explained the severity of this menace.
Hon. Osman Timbo from the APC stated that with all these moves from the public, members should also know that marshmallow is a fruit, just like others, and the government has yet to tag it as illegal, making it impossible for the police to go after a legal substance. He claimed that even the police officer was into this kush. And with such an act by the police, it is very difficult for the nation to have a better result against the Kush fight.
Hon. Fatmata Sarah Soukenak from the ruling party SLPP stated that all this action is good but said that just a single policy statement from the president can put an end to the Kush problem.
It was clear that it was all necessary for the declaration of a public health emergency on Kush. With all these comments for stakeholders and MPs, the Chairman thought that more consultations should be done before the relevant recommendations should be made in the Well.
