Former President Ernest Koroma has returned to Sierra Leonean after more than two years of temporary stay in Nigeria. JoinDiaspora Networks
He was accompanied yesterday to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
A statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry added that Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on the instruction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also followed the ex-President to his country.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who facilitated Koroma’s return in his capacity as special envoy, saw him off to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Koroma served as Sierra Leone’s president from 2007 to 2018 before leaving for Nigeria in January 2024, after being charged with treason and other offences over the November 2023 unrest in the country.
The upheaval, which the Sierra Leonean authorities described as an attempted coup, left 21 people dead and led to the escape of hundreds of prisoners.
Jonathan, who described Koroma’s stay in Nigeria as “home away from home,” expressed gratitude that the country supported him. JoinDiaspora Networks
He said he had worked with others to encourage dialogue with the Sierra Leonean authorities to create conditions for Koroma’s safe return.
