Zacharia Jalloh, Ministry of Information and Civic Education
Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency and head of the National Task Force on Drugs and Substance Abuse, Prof. Foday Sahr, has revealed that since the Task Force was established, the Kissy Psychiatric Hospital has treated over 6,000 patients, including more than 2,300 drug-related cases, and trained 1,400 health workers, adding that three rehabilitation centers have been established in Hastings, Gondama, and Daru, with another planned for Bombali.
He said over 4,000 individuals have been rehabilitated and reintegrated as community ambassadors, while more than 1,000 youths have been trained as peer educators.
In addition, the Ministry of Information led prevention campaigns through media engagements, jingles, and public outreach. Local Government authorities trained over 1,000 community champions and facilitated over 30 community dialogues. On law enforcement, 90 hotspot raids took place in the past week alone, resulting in arrests and seizures. Citizens were encouraged to call 900 to report bodies found in the streets and 117 for drug-related incidents.
Andrew Jaiah KaiKai, head of the Special Security Unit, confirmed the official establishment of the Unit on 1st November 2025 with a standing force of over 200 personnel, including military, police, and NDLA staff.
He said between 25th October and 3rd November, the Unit visited over 90 communities across Freetown. During operations, 46 arrests were made (28 men and 18 women), and significant seizures were recorded, including over 3,000 wraps of Kush, 63 wraps of hash, and a large quantity of tramadol. Citizens were encouraged to call toll-free line 117 to report suspected drug activities.
Community Engagement Pillar Lead, Alfred Moi Jamiru, highlighted ongoing engagements with traditional leaders and communities nationwide, drawing lessons from Ebola and COVID-19 responses. Awareness campaigns were conductedin Waterloo, Hamilton, Wilberforce, Murray Town, and across provincial districts, led by local councils to strengthen community-based drug prevention efforts.
Dr. Carol Labor, Senior Adviser and Technical Lead at the National Public Health Agency’s Mental Health Secretariat,noted that the Presidential Task Force on Mental Health was launched in April 2023. Since then, 1,090 individuals have been trained to identify symptoms of mental health and neurological conditions. She emphasized that addiction is a mental health issue and called for a comprehensive societal approach addressing root causes, community interventions, and early treatment access.
