Attempted Coup: ECOWAS to relocate former Sierra Leone President to Nigeria

The Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) has concluded plans to relocate former Sierra Leone President, Ernest Bal Koroma to Nigeria on Thursday, January 4th 2024

This was part of the agreement reached by the mission to Freetown on 23 December of the high-level ECOWAS delegation led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, and Macky Sail, President of the Republic of Senegal.

A statement signed by the ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, also disclosed that the former President has accepted the offer to be hosted In Nigeria, and subject to approval. Arrangements will be made to fly Former President Koroma out of Freetown on Thursday 4 January 2024.

The statement titled: Temporary Relocation of Former President to Abuja reads: “I refer to the mission to Freetown on 23 December of the high-level ECOWAS delegation led by His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the of Ghana, and His Excellency Macky Sail, President of the Republic of Senegal.”

“I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that as part of the agreement reached during the mission, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has offered to host His Excellency Ernest Bal Horoma, Former President of Sierra Leone, in Abuja temporarily.”

“The former President has accepted the offer to be hosted In Nigeria. Subject to your approval, arrangements will be made to fly Former President Koroma out of Freetown on Thursday 4 January 2024.”

“He will be accompanied by his office manager and personal assistant. in addition to seeking Your Excellency’s approval for the departure from Sierra Leone of the Former President on or around the date indicated above, I would like to seek your confirmation that once President Koroma leaves Sierra Leone, the following arrangements (as agreed during the mission) will be put in place:

“The government of Sierra Leone will discontinue all legal and administrative procedures against him. The Government of Sierra Leone will also continue to disburse to him his benefits as former President;”

“The Government of Sierra Leone will secure his residences in the various locations in Sierra Leone; The Government of Sierra Leone will consider refunding medical and travel expenses he has incurred.”

“While looking forward to Your Excellency’s favourable response, I take this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest consideration.”
It would be recalled that the former President has been charged with four counts of treason in connection with an attempted coup.

Last November, gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons in Freetown, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.

He has denied any involvement in the attack which killed about 20 people.

According to a report monitored on BBC, West African leaders had tried to broker a deal for Mr Koroma to go into exile in Nigeria if the charges were dropped.
However, Sierra Leone Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the BBC the government did not support the proposal, which he described as a “unilateral proposition” by the President of the Ecowas Commission.
Some of Mr Koroma’s supporters cried in court as the charges were read out.
The former president’s lawyer, Joseph Kamara said he was “shocked and in utter disbelief”, saying the charges set a “dangerous precedent”.”A dark cloud has shadowed the skies of our country, meaning that they are dragging a former Head of State; democratically elected on trumped-up charges under a political vendetta,” he said.

Mr Koroma has been under house arrest since being questioned over the coup.

He was president for 11 years until 2018, when current President Julius Maada Bio was elected.

On Tuesday, 12 other people were charged over the attempted coup, including one of Mr Koroma’s former bodyguards.

The former President’s daughter, Dankay Koroma, has previously been named on a list of wanted suspects by police. She has not commented.

The attempted coup came five months after a disputed election which saw President Bio narrowly re-elected for a second term.

The results were rejected by Mr Koroma’s All People’s Congress. International observers also criticised the elections, highlighting a lack of transparency in the count.