A former police chief from Sierra Leone has been detained and turned over by Liberian authorities after that nation accused him of plotting a coup against President Julius Maada Bio’s administration.
Mohammed Y Toure was detained “at the request of the Sierra Leonean authorities on the allegation of helping plan subversive activities intended to unseat [Mr Bio’s] government,” Liberian Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to him, preliminary investigations led Liberia to decide to comply with Sierra Leone’s request and deliver the former police commander to that country.
He continued by saying that Sierra Leone had assured him that all of his rights, including the right to a swift and fair trial, would be upheld.
The Independent National Commission on Human Rights of Liberia, however, issued a strong warning against the extradition, citing the possibility that anyone handed over could be subjected to “physical abuse, unfair trials, or excessive punishment” by the authority making the request.
It also reaffirmed Liberia’s commitments, such as not agreeing to extradition requests where the crime “is regarded as a political offence or as an offence connected with a political offence,” in a statement.
Since last year, the former police chief has been residing in Liberia. According to local media, he was one of the policemen fired from the Sierra Leonean police service in 2020 while other officers were pushed into retirement.
More than a week ago, the police in Sierra Leone accused nameless people “at home and abroad” of plotting violent protests, and now they are deporting him.
The police reported last week that they had detained a number of persons, including senior military commanders who were not named, for “working to undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state.”