FOLLOWING ATTEMPTED COUP
Free Town, Sierra Leone – Ernest Bai Koroma, the former president of Sierra Leone, is accused of treason on four counts related to a coup attempt. In November of last year, gunmen in Freetown broke into multiple prisons and a military armoury, releasing around two thousand prisoners.
He has previously refuted having any part in the assault. According to the BBC, West African officials are attempting to arrange for Mr. Koroma to relocate to Nigeria in exchange for the accusations being dismissed.
The BBC reported that it had seen a letter indicating that Mr. Koroma had accepted the agreement mediated by the local organisation Ecowas, but he had not made any public remarks.
According to the letter, he will visit Nigeria on Thursday, January 4, 2024, provided that President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone gives his assent.
According to the Reuters news agency, some of Mr. Koroma’s supporters sobbed in court when the charges were announced.
Twelve other people, one of whom was once Mr. Koroma’s bodyguard, were also charged in connection with the attempted coup on Tuesday.
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