Ernest Koroma

Abubakar Hashim/Freetown

Though he had condemned the attempted coup on November 26, former President Ernest Koroma, today, was officially invited by the Sierra Leone Police to provide information on the botched coup.

Information Minister, Chernoh Bah, revealed this to the press today. The invitation is premised on the link of his bodyguards, particularly Leatherboot, who was his closest, even before he assumed the office of the president for 11 years, between 2007 to 2018.

The police want to establish whether there was any link between the former President and his three military bodyguards apprehended, with Leatherboot already killed.

Liberian Min of Information

The former President had earlier dissociated himself by issuing a strongly worded statement condemning the coup attempt. He expressed shock on the death of his military guard at his Goderich private residence

The former President has been living in his hometown in Makeni in Northern Sierra Leone.

The former President’s Party, All Peoples Congress APC, had also earlier condemned the coup attempt in a press statement.

The invitation today of the former President is widely seen as the peak of the ongoing investigations to unearth the immediate and remote causes of the 26, November failed coup, with 60 arrests, 21 dead, with 14 military personnel who were buried yesterday.

The former President was given 24 hours to honour the police invitation .

Also the former President has just released a statement that he will fully cooperate with the police as he is getting set to travel to Freetown from his hometown in Makeni. He appealed for calm among his followers.

The invitation was signed by the Inspector General of Police.