Sierra Leone’s authorities indicted 12 individuals on Tuesday, including Amadu Koita, for their involvement in what is being referred to as an attempted coup that took place on November 26, according to an official press release.
Koita, a former soldier and bodyguard to ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, is known for his vocal criticism of the current President Julius Maada Bio on social media platforms.
Koita was among the 85 individuals apprehended on December 4 in relation to the November 26 events, the majority of whom were military personnel.
The charges levelled against the twelve accused, which include former police officers, encompass “treason, misprision of treason, harbouring, aiding, and abetting the enemy,” as stated in a press release signed by Information Minister Chernor Bah.
Eleven of the accused were presented before a judge in Freetown, the capital city. However, proceedings for one of the accused were deferred due to health issues.
The statement assured that all the accused had legal representation.
The events of November 26 saw armed assailants attack a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons, and two police stations, leading to violent clashes with security forces.
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The ensuing chaos resulted in the deaths of 21 individuals and the escape of hundreds of prisoners before authorities could regain control. The authorities have labelled these events as an attempted coup orchestrated by members of the armed forces.
This incident has stoked fears of another coup in West Africa, a region that has witnessed coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea since 2020. (AFP)