01/06/2024
IGP's Wife Intensifies Campaigns Against Drug and Substance Abuse.
On Saturday 1st June, 2024, the public education and sensitization campaign against drug and substance abuse, held at the historic Up-gun Round About in the East End of Freetown, has been hailed as impactful and unprecedented since the official declaration of a national emergency on drug and substance abuse by President Julius Maada Bio.
The attendees, numbering in the hundreds, from all walks of life, commended the leadership role displayed by the wife of the Inspector-General of Police, Mrs. Matilda Doris Sellu, in the fight against drug and substance abuse.
After the usual formalities, the Local Unit Commander of the Harbour Police Division, CSP Mr. Emmanuel Kpulun, welcomed Mrs. Matilda Doris Sellu to his division on her nationwide campaign against drug and substance abuse.
Several speakers, including members of the Local Policing Partnership Board, parents, husbands, wives, businessmen and women, Okada and Kekeh riders, and commercial vehicle drivers, recounted the devastating effects of drug use on their relatives. They collectively called on authorities to take action to eradicate drug use in Sierra Leone by disrupting importation, processing, distribution, sales, and consumption.
The hundreds of attendees who attended the mass anti-drug campaign organized by Mrs. Matilda Doris Sellu pledged to continue collaborating with the police and relevant stakeholders to eradicate drug use from their communities.
In a passionate speech, Mrs. Matilda Doris Sellu urged total cooperation and collaboration from community members to join the police in dismantling drug abuse and its related activities. She warned against stigmatizing drug addicts and victims and emphasized that "together, we can stop drug use and transform the lives of drug addicts."
The campaigner-in-chief against drug and substance abuse also warned school-going children to be cautious with whom they share food and drinks to avoid being intoxicated by friends.
In her closing remarks, Mrs. Matilda Doris Sellu appealed to the judiciary to take tough action on drug dealers and their associates. She also urged the government to establish functional rehabilitation centers countrywide to address the needs of drug victims.
The event was capped off by musical performances by artists from the Mile 91 Artists Union and a sumptuous takeaway meal and cold soft drinks served by Mrs. Hannah Gombo Sesay, the Mami Queen of the Ross Road Police Barracks.
SLP Media Team.
