Sierra Leone’s chief immigration officer, Alusine Kanneh, has been dismissed after a video surfaced showing him accepting a gift from fugitive Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, the government confirmed on Wednesday.
The video, published Friday by investigative outlet Follow the Money, shows Kanneh at a party with Leijdekkers, who is wanted by Europol for international drug trafficking.
The footage has fueled speculation about the drug lord’s alleged ties to high-ranking officials in Sierra Leone, including President Julius Maada Bio and his family.
Also seen in the video was Andrew Jaiah Kaikai, director of the country’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. However, no official action has been announced against him.
President Bio dismissed Kanneh the same day the video emerged, according to Information Minister Chernor Bah, who stated that the president acted within his constitutional authority without specifying the reason for the removal.
Leijdekkers, also known as “Chubby Jos” or “Omar Sheriff,” was sentenced in absentia by a Dutch court last year to 24 years in prison for drug trafficking and murder. Europol has placed him on its most wanted list, offering a €200,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Speculation about his presence in Sierra Leone intensified after First Lady Fatima Bio posted images of a man resembling Leijdekkers attending a religious service with President Bio. Exiled opposition figure Mohamed Mansaray has accused the government of harboring the trafficker and alleged that he is in a relationship with the president’s daughter, Agnes Bio.
Sierra Leonean police announced a manhunt for Leijdekkers in February but have not provided any updates on his whereabouts.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel recently stated that he had discussed the case with Sierra Leone’s attorney general, asserting that criminals should not be given safe haven.
Van Weel stated on X, “There are strong indications that he is currently in Sierra Leone… Criminals should not be given free rein anywhere.”
According to reports, West Africa is a known transit hub for cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
AFP
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