How Sierra Leone’s Accused Ex-Leader Flew To Nigeria

ABUJA, (iexclusivenews) – Ernest Bai Koroma, the former president of Sierra Leone, who faces treason charges for his alleged involvement in a coup attempt, flew to Nigeria on Friday with a court’s permission.

The Coup and the Charges

Koroma, who is 70 years old, was accused of four offences related to a failed military plot to overthrow the current government of President Julius Maada Bio in November last year.

He was indicted on Jan. 3, but a high court granted him the right to travel abroad for medical reasons on Wednesday.

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The Political Implications

The indictment of Koroma, who served as president from 2007 to 2018, has raised fears of political instability and violence in the West African nation, which is still recovering from a decade-long civil war that ended in 2002.

The 2023 election, which gave Bio a second term, was marred by controversy and disputes, as the main opposition candidate rejected the outcome and some international observers questioned the credibility of the vote.

Koroma’s lawyers have denounced the charges as baseless and motivated by revenge.

They claim that Bio’s government is targeting Koroma and his allies for their political views and affiliations.

The Departure and the Arrival

This online news outlet learnt that a Reuters reporter witnessed Koroma leaving the airport in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, on a Nigerian presidential plane on Friday afternoon.

The plane landed in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, where Koroma was welcomed by Nigerian officials and the president of ECOWAS, the regional economic and political bloc, according to another Reuters reporter.

ECOWAS, which stands for the Economic Community of West African States, has not commented on Koroma’s trip.

However, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, visited Sierra Leone twice in the past week.

Sparking rumours that he mediated a deal between the Sierra Leonean authorities and Koroma to allow him to leave the country.