PUBLIC UPROAR ON ‘SIERRA LEONE’S IMAGE’ FOLLOWING CLAIMS FOR DUTCH DRUG CONVICT, JOS LEIJDEKKERS BEING SPOTTED IN SIERRA LEONE.
On January 24, 2025, Reuters, one of the world’s leading News Agencies, reported that Netherlands’ most wanted fugitive ,Joseph Johannes Leijdekkers, a convicted drug smuggler, had been spotted in Sierra Leone.
According to reports, Jos was convicted in absentia to 24 years in prison on June 25, 2024 by the Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine and was believed to be living in Turkey until recently.
Reuters shared that he was spotted in a video during a mass event alongside the President, H.E. Julius Maada Bio, his daughter, Agnes Bio, and other members of cabinet. The mass event reportedly took place in President Bio’s hometown, Tihun, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. To confirm that the person in the video is truly Convicted Leijdekkers, Reuters added that they used three different face recognition technologies and confirmed his identity at about 82-98%.
The news outlet claims to have gotten information from the spokesperson for Dutch prosecutors, who claimed that Jos has been living in Sierra Leone for over six months. They also believed that he is married to one of President Bio’s daughters, Agnes Bio, hence believe he is receiving high protection from the government of Sierra Leone.
With this news, citizens in the country have gone ballistic over fear of Sierra Leone’s image being constantly associated with drug trafficking cases internationally.
The country is currently dealing with the scourge of illegal drugs such as ‘Kush,’ ‘tramadol,’ and other illicit substances.
In early January of this year, there was an allegation of drug trafficking involving Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Guinea, Alimamy Bangura. The Guinean authorities reportedly impounded a vehicle belonging to the embassy. The driver of the vehicle and another Sierra Leonean were arrested on suspicion of drug possession.
Another notable problem concerning Sierra Leone’s association with drug trafficking is the large deportation of Sierra Leoneans from Guinea in December 2024. It was also believed that one of the reasons Guinean authorities deported Sierra Leoneans was due to drug abuse.
With these mounting concerns of allegations of drug trafficking incidents relating to the country, prominent social commentators, including Dr. Alhaji K. Tarawally, Augustine Sorie Sengbe-Marrah, and others, commented on the Dutch convicted fugitive in Sierra Leone.
Social Commentator and Lawyer, Augustine Sorie Sengbe-Marrah, worries that the government of Sierra Leone has been spending multimillion dollars to clean the nation’s image, but yet the country’s name constantly gets dragged into drug abuse and drug trafficking cases internationally.
In a post he made on X, he questioned whether citizens have been receiving value for their money, referring to the government’s travel expenses paid for by taxpayers.
In this sense, President Bio has been extremely public about his frequent international travel. He has repeatedly declared that he is continuously travelling to ‘clean the image’ of the country, which has long been connected with negative news worldwide.
Similarly, Dr. Alhaji K. Tarawally, a Sierra Leonean in the diaspora, expressed disappointment that Sierra Leone appears to be continually associated with drug trafficking. “It is disheartening that trusted institutions and politicians have betrayed us, with our country being seen as a hub for drug cartels,” he posted on his Facebook page.
The public outcry over the scandal spurred the government of Sierra Leone to issue a press release addressing the situation.
In the statement, the government denies knowing or having any association with Jos Leijdekkers.
As seen in the video, the government claims that the president had attended numerous events during the holidays and was photographed by many attendees, denying knowing the identity of Liejdekkers.
Despite the press release, individuals still hold their views that Sierra Leone being constantly dragged in a sentence with drug trafficking allegations is detrimental to the nation’s image.