AYV News, August 20, 2026
What started as a mission to save young people from drugs has forced a Christian pastor from the Kuntoloh community in Freetown to abandon his home and live in fear for his life.
Pastor Joseph Ganiyu Alabi, a pastor and resident of Kuntoloh, got his life changed after he was appointed as an elder and member of the Kuntoloh Elders’ Committee in September 2024.
According to a report, the Committee was deeply concerned about the growing spread of the dangerous synthetic drug known as Kush, which is devastating young people across Sierra Leone. As part of its community response, the Committee agreed to report suspected distributors to the local police.
“His intention was not to harm or persecute anyone. His purpose was to help protect young people,” a committee member told this reporter.
Beyond reporting, the pastor worked directly with youth. In December 2024, he organized gatherings where he provided food, clothes, and shoes for vulnerable young people and preached to them about faith, the future, and the dangers of drugs.
Reports say this visibility made him a target.
Joseph Samai who spoke to this reporter said in November 2025, a man known as Foday, who is a strong member of the ruling party that usually mobilised the youth in the community for SLPP programs, and many people say is involved in the drug trade, confronted the pastor. Foday alleged that a police officer had told him about Pastor Alabi’s role in exposing drug activities.
“If you continue, we will teach you a lesson,” Foday reportedly told him.
The verbal warning allegedly turned physical on 11th December 2025. At about 10:00 p.m. while driving home, unidentified individuals threw a stone at
Pastor Alabi’s vehicle, smashing a door glass and shouting, “This is just a warning.”
He reported the attack to the local police, but witnesses said nothing effective was done.
The most serious incident, reports went on, happened on May 11, 2026, around 9:00 p.m. While a group gathered on the road claiming to celebrate “Bob Marley’s night,” Foday was present and instructed his boys to beat Pastor Alabi.
Joseph told this reporter, “He became extremely frightened because he believed that they intended to physically attack him.” He was saved by good neighbours who intervened and took him to an undisclosed location.
On that same night, Foday threatened to kill him and boasted of connections to a niece of the President, an attempt to show influence.
Even after that, the threats allegedly continued. Pastor Alabi got a tip off that Foday vowed that “wherever he is, he will find him and put an end to this nonsense.”
The final straw came on August 17, 2026, when a bucket of faeces was splashed onto the door of his home – an act many people described as intimidation.
Fearing for his life, Pastor Alabi abandoned his home.
“He did not choose to leave his home because he wanted to abandon his community. He left because he was afraid that he would be seriously harmed or killed. ” Sam Sesay, a witness, reported.
He said Pastor’s actions were motivated by his faith and responsibility as a pastor and community elder.
“He was deeply concerned about his safety and believed that the threats against him should be taken seriously,” Sam concluded.
