By Patrick Hinga George, Public Education Officer, Anti-Corruption Commission

Corruption doesn’t always pull the trigger, yet it leaves bodies behind. It doesn’t wield a machete, but it slashes dreams, futures and nations apart. Its poison seeps quietly into the veins of our institutions and before we realize it, the heartbeat of a people begins to slow. Every bribe taken, every corner cut, every law bent for personal gain silently builds the road to destruction.

Corruption is not a victimless act, it is a murderer dressed in respectability, shaking hands in daylight while burying nations in the dark. When it takes root, hospitals don’t just lack medicine, they lack mercy. Schools don’t just fail to teach, they manufacture ignorance. And when corruption grips the hands of those meant to protect, it becomes a silent assassin that kills trust, justice and peace.

We have seen it before, societies that traded integrity for indulgence only to wake up amid ashes and regret. The greatest tragedy of corruption is that it kills before it kills, it destroys the moral immune system of a people until the death of their dreams feels normal.

This series “Corruption Doesn’t Just Destroy, It KILLS!” exists to unmask the true face of corruption, to show that every dishonest act, every abuse of power, every betrayal of public trust does not just destroy systems, it kills souls, futures and nations.

The Security Sector is the heartbeat of national peace and stability. It includes the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of National Security (ONS), the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and the National Fire Force (NFF), institutions entrusted with the sacred duty to protect life, property and sovereignty. But when corruption seeps into this sacred circle, the protectors can become the predators; the shield turns into the sword.

Picture a border officer who accepts a bribe and waves through a truck without inspection. It may look harmless in that moment, but that single act could allow the entry of arms, ammunition or drugs, seeds of violence and destruction. One man’s greed can unlock a decade of national suffering.

Our history bears witness – the eleven-year civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone was not just born out of political tension, it was nourished by corruption, betrayal and moral decay. It wasn’t only buildings that fell; human dignity, trust and hope were reduced to rubble.

When a police officer demands “something for the boys” before enforcing the law, justice becomes a commodity. When a soldier sells national secrets or misuses logistics intended for peacekeeping, he endangers the very people he vowed to defend. When a fire officer overlooks safety violations for a bribe, he silently signs death warrants. These are not small acts; they are lethal choices.

Corruption within the security sector is not a mere administrative offence, it is a slow-moving national suicide. It exposes the country to insecurity, opens the doors for drug cartels, human trafficking, terrorism and rebellion. And the irony is bitter: those on the frontline, the soldiers, police officers and firefighters, are often the first to pay the price when the chaos they enabled turns back against them.

Corruption spares no one! It consumes everything within reach- wealth, reputation and generations yet unborn.

Security begins and ends at the borders and when officers assigned to protect the nation’s entry points trade integrity for cash, they invite danger disguised as commerce. Illegal arms and narcotics do not only threaten national peace, they cripple the future of the youth, who are the nation’s most vital human resource.

Drugs and war have always been partners in destruction, fuelling each other, feeding the cycle of violence, hopelessness and death. Corruption in the security chain doesn’t only destroy institutions, but it kills the very people it is meant to safeguard. And when the security sector collapses under the weight of corruption, every other sector trembles.

Therefore, let this sermon sink into our hearts. All that is needed now is WISDOM and that which is rooted in the fear of God. Without that fear, corruption finds a comfortable home in the human heart and we must remember: this world is not our permanent dwelling. It is a temporary island that will one day sink, and the wealth we gather through deceit will sink with it. The power, the influence, the status, all will fade. What remains is the legacy of integrity we leave behind.

If humanity learns to seek divine wisdom, the kind that teaches truth, humility, and justice, then corruption will lose its grip. Wisdom reveals that real wealth does not come from manipulation or greed, but from clean hands and pure hearts. Whatever we touch, if it is done in truth, shall prosper and last.

Let this truth echo through every institution, every home and every conscience:Corruption doesn’t just destroy – it kills! It kills the conscience before it kills the body. It kills justice before it kills peace. It kills a nation long before the bullets do.