Former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma has left Nigeria for his home country, bringing to a close his more than two-year stay in the West African nation after he departed Freetown in January 2024.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced Koroma’s departure on Sunday, September 6, 2026, revealing that behind-the-scenes efforts had been ongoing to promote discussions with Sierra Leonean officials and secure circumstances that would allow the former leader to return home safely.
Jonathan said he personally saw Koroma off as he commenced his trip back to Sierra Leone.
In a message shared on Facebook, the former Nigerian president described Koroma as a close friend and brother, expressing satisfaction that the former Sierra Leonean leader was finally heading back to Freetown.
Jonathan noted that Nigeria had served as Koroma’s temporary home for more than two years, adding that he was pleased to have been able to provide friendship, assistance and solidarity to him throughout his stay.
Koroma’s departure comes after Sierra Leonean authorities took a significant legal step in July 2026 by withdrawing treason-related allegations against the former president. The charges had been linked to an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government in November 2023.
The development paved the way for Koroma’s eventual return after he had remained outside Sierra Leone for an extended period.
Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, had earlier disclosed that Koroma was expected to return to the country during the weekend.
Jonathan explained that the former Nigerian president was among those who had worked discreetly to encourage communication between Koroma and Sierra Leonean authorities.
He said the objective of the engagement was to promote dialogue and help establish an environment that would allow Koroma to return without compromising his safety or dignity.
Jonathan expressed particular happiness over Koroma’s decision to return, saying his homecoming to Freetown represented an important development.
He also voiced optimism that Koroma’s return could help strengthen efforts aimed at reconciliation and national healing in Sierra Leone.
Jonathan wished the former president a safe journey and peace as he begins what he described as a new phase of his life. He also prayed that the homecoming would bring renewed optimism to Koroma, his family and the wider Sierra Leonean population.
Photographs taken at the Presidential Wing of Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport showed Jonathan alongside Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as they accompanied Koroma before his departure.
However, by 3:33pm, when the report was filed, there had been no official statement from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regarding the former Sierra Leonean president’s return.
Koroma’s stay in Nigeria began on January 19, 2024. He arrived aboard a Nigerian presidential aircraft after Sierra Leone’s High Court authorised him two days earlier, on January 17, to travel overseas for medical treatment.
The court initially granted permission for him to remain abroad for three months.
What was initially expected to be a temporary medical trip subsequently became a prolonged stay in Nigeria lasting more than two years.
His departure on Sunday therefore marks the conclusion of an extended period in Nigeria and signals his return to Sierra Leone after more than two years away from home.
