The Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, has publicly revealed that his son was coerced into experimenting with the harmful substance Kush while he was a student at the prestigious Bo Government Secondary School more than three years ago.

The Minister released a statement to clarify comments he had made during a recent national conversation on the country’s drug crisis, following concerns raised by a schoolteacher.

Minister Bah disclosed that in May 2021, long before he entered public office, his son was “coerced and threatened by a group of older boys to experiment with the harmful substance known as Kush.”

As a father, he took immediate action, filing a ormal complaint with the school administration. He confirmed that his son later received the necessary support and is “today thriving.”

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Minister Bah emphasized that his intention in sharing the deeply painful family story was not to “shame Bo School or to tarnish a proud institution.” He noted that he chose Bo School, his son’s alma mater, out of respect for its history, but stressed that “No school in Sierra Leone is” immune from the crisis.

He explained that the family chose to be open, with his son’s full consent, because “too many families are suffering in silence.”

“Silence only protects predators, not students,” Minister Bah stated. “I believe that the lives and safety of our children must come before the image of any institution.”

The Minister concluded with an appeal for collective action, urging all stakeholders—teachers, parents, alumni, community leaders, and policymakers—to “fight the crisis that is destroying our children.”

He affirmed his readiness, both as a father and as the Minister of Information and Civic Education, to work with all schools in Sierra Leone to secure children’s future from the drug epidemic.