Koroma Returns to Sierra Leone as Nigeria Ends His Two-Year Relocation

Former Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma returned to Freetown on September 6 after more than two years of temporary relocation in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu accompanied him under President Bola Tinubu’s direction, alongside former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. Koroma’s relocation began in January 2024 following engagements led by the Economic Community of West African States. The ministry said sustained work by ECOWAS, Nigeria, Sierra Leonean authorities and other stakeholders resolved the circumstances behind the relocation, calling the return the conclusion of a regional diplomatic and confidence-building process.