The Judiciary of Sierra Leone has announced measures to fast-track drug-related cases in response to the escalating Kushdemic crisis, assigning seven judges and four magistrates to handle such matters in the Western Area.
Chief Justice Komba Kamanda has also directed judges and magistrates in provincial jurisdictions to make these cases a top priority, with court sittings now extended to Saturdays to ensure swift proceedings.
The move comes amid growing public alarm over the impact of Kush on communities, despite attempts by the Speaker of Parliament to downplay the scale of the crisis.
The past few weeks have witnessed disturbing incidents of children fighting over the synthetic drug and the Freetown City Council’s retrieval of at least 200 corpses of people who died of drug-related causes in the streets. All these, including threats against journalists for simply sounding the alarm bells, underscore the severity of the situation.
Heavy pressure is mounting on government to tackle the problem head-on.
The judiciary’s efforts are said to be part of a broader justice sector approach to combat drug-related crimes, promote justice and public safety.
