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Tag: Koroma

  • Koroma mourns exit of a towering figure in African leadership

    Koroma mourns exit of a towering figure in African leadership

    Former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma yesterday described former Nigerian President, the late Muhammadu Buhari, as a “towering figure in African leadership”.

    He condoled with Buhari’s family, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government and the people of Nigeria.

    Koroma, who served as Sierra Leone’s president from 2007 to 2018, made the remarks in a statement signed by him and released to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    He lauded the lated Buhari as a respected head of state and a principled leader whose wisdom and determination helped prevent crises and upheld democratic values across the subregion.

    The statement reads: “President Buhari was a towering figure in African leadership.

    “His life of service to Nigeria, from his early military career to his stewardship as a democratically elected president, was marked by an unrelenting commitment to national development and regional stability.

     “He left behind a legacy of quiet strength, modesty, and devotion to duty,” Koroma said.

    He recalled his close work with the former president on several peace and governance initiatives under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), highlighting their joint mediation to secure a peaceful transition in The Gambia in 2017.

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    “In those moments, I saw in him not only a respected head of state but a deeply principled leader whose wisdom and resolve helped avert crisis and uphold democratic values across our subregion,” Koroma added.

    He extended condolences to Buhari’s family, President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian government, and the people of Nigeria.

    Koroma noted that Buhari embodied the rare combination of soldier and statesman, transitioning from military rule to democratic governance with humility and grace.

  • Ex-Sierra Leone President Koroma heads for Nigeria on asylum after treason charges

    Ex-Sierra Leone President Koroma heads for Nigeria on asylum after treason charges

    Controversy yesterday trailed plans by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to relocate former Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Bai Koroma, to Nigeria today.

    In a statement 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.

    Touray added that the former President has accepted the offer to be hosted in Nigeria, and subject to approval, arrangements will be made to fly him out of Freetown today.

    The former Sierra Leonean President was on Tuesday charged with four counts of treason in connection to an attempted coup.

    However, Sierra Leone Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) the government did not support the proposal to relocate Koroma, which he described as a unilateral proposition by the ECOWAS Commission President.

    But, Touray’s statement on Koroma’s relocation to Nigeria, titled: “Temporary relocation of former President to Abuja”, reads: “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.”

    However, the former president’s lawyer, Joseph Kamara, told the BBC 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 we are dragging a former head of state – democratically elected – on trumped-up charges under a political vendetta,” he said.

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    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.

    On Tuesday, Koroma and 11 other people were charged over the attempted coup, including one of Mr. Koroma’s former bodyguards.

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

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

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

    The attempted coup came five months after a disputed election which President Bio narrowly won to continue in office.

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