Boma Achenimie 
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) plan to relocate former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma to Nigeria has stirred controversy.
New Telegraph recalled that gunmen had last November broken into a military armoury and several prisons in Freetown, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.
Koroma denied any involvement in the attack, which killed about 20 people. However, the former president and 11 other people were on Tuesday charged over the attempted coup, including one of Koroma’s former bodyguards.
He was President for 11 years until 2018 when incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was elected.
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In a statement Wednesday, the ECOWAS Commission President, Omar Alieu Touray, indicated that the move to relocate Koroma followed an agreement reached by an ECOWAS Mission to Freetown on December 23.
Touray said Koroma had accepted the offer to be hosted in Nigeria, and subject to approval, arrangements will be made to fly him out of Freetown today.
However, Sierra Leone Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that the government did not support the proposal to relocate Koroma, which he described as a unilateral proposition by the ECOWAS Commission President.
The former President has accepted the offer to be hosted In Nigeria. Subject to your approval, arrangements will be made to fly former President Koroma out of Freetown on Thursday, 4th January.”
