Controversy yesterday trailed plans by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to relocate former Sierra Leone President, Ernest Bai Koroma, to Nigeria. Koroma who was found culpable following investigations into a botched coup d’etat in his country will spent time in Nigeria on political asylum. In a letter yesterday, the ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, indicated that the move to relocate Koroma followed an agreement reached by an ECOWAS Mission to Freetown on December 23. The high-level delegation was led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the Republic of Ghana and Macky Sail of Senegal.
The letter addressed to the present President of Sierra Leone, Julius Bio, under the headline: “Temporarily Relocation of Former President to Abuja” requested for the former President to be allowed to travel to Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Macky Sall of Sierra Leone were copied in the letter written on January 2, 2024.
“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 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, 4th January,” the letter said.
Koroma is charged with treason, misprision of treason, and two counts of harbouring.
