Sierra Leone: Sunday attacks were attempts to remove president Bio – Minister

The government of Sierra Leone has disclosed that the Sunday daring attacks on prisons and military armoury in the capital Freetown was a coup attempt to topple the President Julius Maada Bio’s administration. The country’s information minister stressed that the failed coup was largely led by bodyguards of former President Ernest Bai Koroma who has not been directly indicted in the highly condemned move…

Sierra Leone’s government said on Tuesday that the Sunday attacks on prisons and military armoury in the capital Freetown were a failed attempt to remove president Julius Maada Bio.

The the government added that the failed coup was largely led by bodyguards of former President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The information minister Chernor Bah, and the chief of defence staff Lt. General Patrick Lavahun, told a news conference that the former president could not be directly linked to the move but investigations were ongoing.

Bah added that the coup attempt failed, and plenty of the leaders are either in police custody or on the run.

He vowed that security agencies will capture those who gone hiding and bring them to the full force of the laws of Sierra Leone.

According to authorities in the West African country, gunmen attacked a military barracks, a jail, and other facilities on Sunday, releasing over 2,200 detainees and murdering more than 20 people.

Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People Congress of the former president, including the ECOWAS regional bloc condemned the attacks in a statement.

In August, a number of military officers were arrested and accused of plotting a coup against the president.

West African bloc Ecowas said on Tuesday it was ready to deploy regional support to “strengthen national security” in Sierra Leone.