Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma has returned home after spending more than two years in Nigeria, following the withdrawal of treason charges against him.
Gatekeepers News reports that Koroma left Nigeria on Sunday and was accompanied on the journey by former Nigerian Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, according to TheCable.
The former president, who governed Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2018, was charged with treason and other offences over his alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in November 2023. The unrest involved attacks on military facilities and a prison and resulted in deaths and the release of inmates.
Koroma travelled to Nigeria in January 2024 after Sierra Leone’s High Court permitted him to leave the country for medical treatment. He subsequently remained in Nigeria for more than two years under an arrangement reportedly facilitated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In July 2026, Sierra Leone’s government announced that it had discontinued the criminal proceedings against Koroma, effectively freeing him to return home. His return has been linked to broader efforts towards political reconciliation and stability in the country.
Koroma’s return marks the end of his prolonged stay in Nigeria and comes after the Sierra Leonean government formally dropped the charges against him.
