Sierra Leone's former president, Ernest Bai Koroma, plans to seek medical treatment in Nigeria while facing charges of involvement in an attempted coup in late 2023. Koroma has been granted permission to leave the country as he awaits his treason trial scheduled for March.
The West African country's High Court granted Koroma, who led Sierra Leone for 11 years from 2007 to 2018, a three-month leave of absence, sparking speculation of a possible exile.
There have been persistent rumors that the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), may have brokered a deal with the Sierra Leonean government to allow the former president to relocate, potentially easing tensions stemming from the November unrest, according to local media.
In early January, Sierra Leone's Ministry of Information announced that former President Ernest Bai Koroma had been charged by a court with treason and two counts of failing to appear in court for his alleged involvement in a November 26 attempt to overthrow the government.
In mid-December, Sierra Leonean police also identified Koroma as a suspect in the November attacks, which the former president condemned in a statement shortly after they occurred.