Nigeria Grants Assylum To Ex-Sierra Leonean President After His Role In Failed Coup

The Nigerian Government has granted temporary asylum to the former Sierra Leonean president, Ernest Bai Koroma, who faces treason charges from his successor, Julius Maada Bio.

The offer, confirmed in a letter dated January 2, 2024, with reference number ECW/PC/DC/2024-001/oat, was signed by Omar Alieu Touray and addressed to President Bio of Sierra Leone.

The letter outlined the agreement reached during a high-level ECOWAS delegation’s mission, led by Presidents Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Macky Sall of Senegal.

According to the letter, the Nigerian government has offered to host President Koroma in Abuja temporarily, a proposition that the former president has accepted. The proposed departure date is Thursday, January 4, 2024.

The letter read: “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 Republic of Ghana, and His Excellency, Macky Sall, 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 Bai Koroma, former president of Sierra Leone, in Abuja on a temporary basis. 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 arrangements, as per Touray’s letter, include discontinuing all legal and administrative procedures against Koroma, ensuring the disbursement of benefits as a former president, securing his residences in Sierra Leone, and considering refunding medical and travel expenses incurred by the former president.

The unrest began in last year when gunmen raided a military armoury and prisons in Freetown, resulting in the release of nearly 2,000 inmates.

President Bio narrowly won a disputed election five months prior to the attempted coup in November 2023.

Facing four counts of treason in connection with the coup, Koroma has been under house arrest, denying any involvement in the attack that claimed about 20 lives.

.ECOWAS leaders attempted to broker a deal for Koroma’s exile in Nigeria, contingent on dropping the charges, which he had agreed to in a letter.

Twelve additional individuals, including one of Koroma’s former bodyguards, were charged in connection with the attempted coup on Tuesday.