Conviction, Sentencing, and the Cost of Standing Outside the Political Circle —

The real problem is not just that power exists, but that it is so often exercised with arrogance. Too many leaders behave as though the state belongs to them, when in truth it belongs to the citizens who sustain it. That is the heart of the matter: power without humility becomes oppression, and authority without accountability becomes abuse.

The injustice of the state is visible everywhere. It appears in the gap between the privileged and the poor, in the weakness of institutions that should protect citizens, and in a system where justice can feel selective. For ordinary Sierra Leoneans, the state is often present when it demands obedience, but absent when it should deliver fairness, opportunity, and protection.