Sierra Leone’s former President, Ernest Koroma, is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria on Thursday. Koroma will be seeking political asylum in Nigeria after being implicated in investigations related to a failed coup d’état in his home country.
The announcement of his arrival in Nigeria was made through an official public notice signed by Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah. The notice detailed Koroma’s charges, including allegations of treason, misprision of treason, and two counts of harboring, stemming from the failed November 26, 2023 coup.
However, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has intervened, securing political asylum for the former President in Nigeria. In a letter penned by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, addressed to Sierra Leone’s current President, Julius Bio, titled “Temporarily Relocation of Former President to Abuja,” ECOWAS requested permission for Koroma’s travel to Nigeria.
This letter, dated January 2, 2024, was also copied to Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, and Sierra Leone’s Macky Sall.
