Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted asylum to former Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Bai Koroma.
This was contained in a statement signed by the ECOWAS Commission president, Omar Touray on Tuesday and made available to journalists on Wednesday.
Koroma was on Tuesday charged with four counts of treason in connection to an attempted coup and other crimes
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.
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 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 , the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has offered to host His Excellency Ernest Bal Koroma, former President of Sierra Leone, in Abuja.
“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.”
Koroma 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.
