Amadu Koita Makalo, a former bodyguard of Sierra Leone’s ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, has been sentenced to 182 years in prison for his role in a failed coup in 2024.
Makalo was found guilty of treason, murder, and shooting with intent to murder by a Freetown court.
He was accused of being one of the organisers of the coup plot, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people and the release of over 2,000 prisoners from military barracks and prisons.
The failed coup occurred in November last year, with gunmen attacking key military installations. The government regained control after the incident, which was deemed an attempted coup.
Makalo’s co-accused received jail terms ranging from 39 to 182 years. At least 80 people were arrested in connection with the incident, most of them military personnel.
In the ruling on Monday, the judge, Komba Kamanda stated that the former presidential bodyguard had shown no remorse throughout the trial, the local newspaper Awoko reported.
“The purpose of this sentence is to serve as a deterrent for people to know that coups or attempted coups to overthrow any legitimate government is no longer accepted,” the judge stated.