Nigeria has facilitated the safe and dignified return of Sierra Leone’s former President Ernest Koroma to Sierra Leone after more than two years of temporary relocation to Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said in a statement issued by Dr. Magnus Eze, her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media that Koroma’s return marked the successful conclusion of a regional diplomatic and confidence-building process.
According to the statement, the Nigerian foreign minister accompanied Koroma to Freetown on the instruction of President Bola Tinubu and that Koroma’s return marked the successful conclusion of a regional diplomatic and confidence-building process.
The statement recalled that Koroma’s relocation to Nigeria in January 2024 followed engagements by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aimed at promoting peace, stability and political understanding in Sierra Leone.
The minster explained that the process which helped to create conditions for greater understanding between Sierra Leone’s current President Julius Bio and the country’s former president, paved the way for Koroma’s temporary stay in Nigeria.
“His conduct throughout this period reflected restraint, statesmanship and commitment to a peaceful outcome,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the statement said.
It reiterated the sustained engagements involving ECOWAS, the Nigerian Government and other stakeholders contributed to resolving issues that had necessitated the relocation, during his stay in Nigeria.
The minister expressed appreciation to President Bio, former President Koroma and the people of Sierra Leone for their cooperation and commitment to peace, saying former President Olusegun Obasanjo joined in escorting Koroma back to Freetown.
According to the minister, Nigeria remains committed to regional harmony, constitutional order and democratic stability, expressing confidence that Koroma’s return will further strengthen national reconciliation and peace in Sierra Leone.
GIK/APA