By Albert David
In a revelation that has sent shockwaves across West Africa and beyond, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a staggering 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, valued at ₦29.4 billion ($22 million), originating from Freetown, Sierra Leone. This seizure, the largest in the history of the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command, is not merely a criminal incident, it is a damning indictment of Sierra Leone’s governance, its porous institutions, and the dangerous permissiveness that now defines its international reputation.
The 20-foot container, serial number GCNU1332851, was flagged during a routine disinfection exercise. Inside, officials uncovered 50 packages containing 20 parcels each, all testing positive for cocaine. The container was one of 39 empty units slated for export loading, yet it carried a payload of destruction, concealed, deliberate, and devastating.
This is not an isolated breach. It is the latest in a pattern of transnational criminal enterprise that has turned Sierra Leone into a safe haven for drug lords, including notorious figures like Jos Leijdekkers alias “Omar Sheriff”, whose protection under the current administration raises grave concerns about state complicity and institutional decay.
Sierra Leone’s soil is being weaponized against its own people, used as a launchpad for narcotics that destroy lives and destabilize societies.The scale and sophistication of this operation suggest not negligence, but active facilitation, a system so compromised that criminal networks operate with impunity.
This shipment, intercepted in Lagos, is a threat not only to Nigeria but to the entire ECOWAS region. It undermines continental security, fuels corruption, and erodes trust in democratic institutions. When a government enables or ignores such criminality, it forfeits its moral authority. Sierra Leone’s leadership must be held accountable, not just politically, but legally and ethically.
The people of Sierra Leone deserve better than a regime that turns their homeland into a narco-transit hub. The international community must demand transparency, investigation, and prosecution. Civic voices must rise in condemnation, not just of the traffickers, but of the political architecture that shelters them.
This is not just a drug bust. It is a national disgrace. A betrayal of sovereignty. A call to action.
