Parliamentary Committee Pushes For Action on Drug Abuse

By Abdul Rahman Bah

The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Social Welfare on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, engaged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at its office on Walpole Street, Freetown, as part of Parliament’s oversight responsibilities.

The engagement was conducted pursuant to Section 93(3) and (6) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, which empowers parliamentary committees to investigate and inquire into the activities and administration of ministries, departments and agencies under their oversight. The law also gives committees power to summon witnesses, examine persons and require the production of relevant documents in the performance of their functions.

The meeting, chaired by Hon. Haja Miatta Amara of the All People’s Congress (APC), was described as a familiarisation and oversight engagement with the newly appointed Executive Director of the NDLEA, Mr. Prince Amoh Bull-Luseni.

Hon. Amara congratulated the Executive Director and explained that members of the committee were at the agency as representatives of citizens across the country, who continue to raise concerns about the growing drug problem.

She stressed that Parliament’s oversight role should not necessarily be interpreted as an attempt to target government institutions, but rather as an opportunity to identify weaknesses, demand accountability and work collaboratively to improve public services.

According to her, drug abuse has become one of the most serious social problems confronting Sierra Leone, with Members of Parliament encountering victims and affected families in their constituencies.

She recalled previous oversight visits to drug rehabilitation centres, describing the conditions observed there as deeply concerning. She cited cases involving vulnerable people, including pregnant girls who were reportedly without adequate medication.

The Chairperson also raised concerns about what happens to people after completing rehabilitation.

She questioned whether sufficient reintegration programmes exist to help recovering drug users obtain employment, acquire skills and return successfully to their communities. She argued that rehabilitation should not end when an individual leaves a treatment facility, stressing that reintegration and livelihood support are essential to preventing relapse.

Hon. Amara further appealed to the NDLEA leadership to involve Parliament in future programmes, workshops and major initiatives so that lawmakers can better understand the agency’s activities and communicate them to their constituents.

Responding, the Executive Director of the NDLEA, Mr. Prince Amoh Bull-Luseni, acknowledged the numerous challenges facing the institution, but said they should serve as motivation for reform rather than excuses for inaction.

He identified inadequate staffing, equipment and poor office conditions among the major challenges confronting the agency.

Mr. Bull-Luseni said the agency currently has only 27 regular staff members, with a significant proportion assigned to administrative functions, leaving limited personnel for frontline enforcement operations.

He disclosed plans to transform the working environment of the agency, including refurbishing its offices, addressing broken tiles, leaking areas and malfunctioning air-conditioning systems, while improving access to electricity, internet services and other essential facilities.

He said the agency is also undertaking a staff assessment to determine employees’ skills and capacities and ensure that personnel are deployed to positions where they can perform effectively.

The Executive Director said the NDLEA intends to provide staff with essential working tools, including computers, internet connectivity and official communication facilities, while strengthening the agency’s digital presence through its website and professional email system.

On drug rehabilitation, Mr. Bull-Luseni explained that the agency had begun working with privately operated rehabilitation centres to establish stronger regulation and standards.

He said the NDLEA had developed a regulatory framework under which rehabilitation centres would be classified into different categories based on their infrastructure, services and administrative capacity.

According to him, rehabilitation facilities will be required to obtain approval and licences through the relevant regulatory process before operating as drug treatment and rehabilitation centres.

He said the agency is also preparing licensing and training programmes for personnel working in drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities.

The Executive Director acknowledged the concerns raised by the committee about the conditions at rehabilitation centres and said the agency was determined to improve the system.

On enforcement, he said the NDLEA currently depends heavily on collaboration with the Sierra Leone Police, military and other security institutions because of its limited manpower.

He expressed concern about reports of misconduct and misrepresentation involving individuals carrying out drug-related enforcement activities, saying the agency was working to establish greater control, professionalism and accountability within its enforcement operations.

Mr. Bull-Luseni disclosed that he had already engaged the Inspector General of Police and other security authorities on strengthening collaboration. He said the agency would seek to develop clearer operational arrangements with security partners to ensure that enforcement activities are properly coordinated.

He also highlighted the importance of prevention, particularly as drug trafficking and consumption increasingly affect young people.

According to the Executive Director, the agency intends to place greater emphasis on public education and prevention because limited resources make it difficult to rely solely on enforcement.

He said the NDLEA was preparing programmes targeting schools and young people, with the objective of preventing drug use before it becomes entrenched.

The agency is also expected to present Parliament with detailed statistics on drug-related arrests, types of drugs seized, cases referred for prosecution and ongoing trials.

Mr. Bull-Luseni said the agency was also exploring stronger partnerships with international organisations for technical, financial and logistical assistance. He referenced engagements with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), including discussions around the development of a national strategy addressing transnational organised crime.

He further disclosed plans for a staff retreat to develop the agency’s short-, medium- and long-term priorities.

Hon. Aruna Papay Solomon Lakoh, also an APC Member of Parliament and member of the committee, welcomed the appointment of the Executive Director and urged him to use his experience to give the NDLEA a much-needed facelift.

Hon. Lakoh said drug abuse should be treated as a national development issue because of its impact on young people, families, education, employment and communities.

He challenged the agency to develop a comprehensive national drug prevention strategy that brings together the various ministries, departments, security institutions and other stakeholders involved in combating drug abuse.

He also called for greater attention to the prevention of drug trafficking and the influx of drugs into Sierra Leone, arguing that the national response should not focus only on people already affected by substance abuse.

Hon. Lakoh particularly urged the NDLEA to strengthen programmes in schools, noting concerns that drugs such as Tramadol are increasingly affecting young people.

He said prevention programmes should reach schools early and should form an important part of the country’s long-term strategy against drug abuse.

The lawmaker further urged the agency to demonstrate measurable progress before the committee’s next oversight engagement, saying Parliament would expect to see concrete activities, programmes and results rather than plans alone.

Other members of the Social Welfare Committee also contributed to the discussions, raising concerns about rehabilitation, enforcement, prevention, staffing, funding, inter-agency coordination and the need for a more effective national response to drug abuse.

The engagement ended with a renewed call for stronger collaboration between Parliament and the NDLEA, improved institutional capacity, better rehabilitation and reintegration services, increased prevention efforts and tougher action against the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs.

The committee made it clear that while the engagement was primarily intended to familiarise itself with the new leadership, future oversight visits are likely to focus more closely on measurable progress, implementation of programmes and the agency’s effectiveness in confronting Sierra Leone’s growing drug challenge.