Nigerian among ’34 fugitives’ declared wanted by Sierra Leone police
The Sierra Leone police have declared 34 persons, including a Nigerian, wanted after a coordinated jailbreak masterminded by gunmen on Sunday.
It is unclear how many inmates are on the run but the prison reportedly held more than 2,000 people in 2019.
The incident occurred about the same time Wilberforce barracks, which houses several foreign embassies, including those of China, Germany, Austria, Gambia, Lebanon and Syria, was attacked, prompting a nationwide curfew.
President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone said most of the leaders of the attack had been arrested, noting that investigations are ongoing.
While Bio refrained from describing the chain of events as a coup, he labelled them an attempt to undermine the stability that the country has worked hard to achieve.
On Tuesday, the country’s police published the photos and identities of 32 men and two women, including serving and retired soldiers, police officers and civilians, and tagged them as “fugitives”.
One of the fugitives was identified as “Abayomi Thomas”, a major in the Sierra Leonian army.
The authorities did not specify their motives or objectives but promised a “handsome reward” to anyone providing information leading to their arrest.
Sierra Leone has been engulfed by a tense political climate since Bio was re-elected in June.
The result of the election was rejected by the opposition candidate and questioned by international partners, including the US and European Union, who said the polls lacked transparency.
The unrest in Sierra Leone comes in the wake of a slew of military coups in West and Central Africa.
There are no comments at the moment, do you want to add one?
Write a comment