15 June 2026
London, United Kingdom
AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY BRIG. (RTD.) JULIUS MAADA BIO
President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Fountain of Honour and Custodian of National Unity
Your Excellency,
Beyond Politics: A National Appeal for Unity, Healing, and Presidential Clemency
To Allow Former President Ernest Bai Koroma to Return Home and Lay to Rest His Brother and Comrade, the Late Chairman, Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray
Your Excellency,
With the deepest respect for your high office, I write today on behalf of countless Sierra Leoneans, both at home and across the diaspora, who yearn for a moment of national healing. I write not only as a patriotic citizen, but also as a member of the All People’s Congress (APC), compelled by conscience to make this solemn appeal.
Today, our nation mourns the passing of Rt. Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, National Chairman of the APC, a man who served Sierra Leone with distinction as a legislator and as a minister in the administration of former President Ernest Bai Koroma. His contributions to our country are woven into the fabric of our national story.
I also acknowledge Your Excellency’s initial message of condolence, recognising Chairman Mansaray’s service to the nation. We are grateful, Sir.
Behind his public service stood a brotherhood, deep, loyal, and unbroken, between him and former President Ernest Bai Koroma. Your Excellency, you know as well as anyone that bonds forged in leadership, struggle, and service are bonds of the heart. I am certain that the former President is devastated by this loss. And I am equally certain that, if the late Chairman had been granted a final wish, it would have been to have his brother, Ernest Bai Koroma, stand by his graveside and lay him to rest.
Yet today, that possibility rests in the hands of one man alone, you, Your Excellency. As Fountain of Honour and custodian of our national unity, only you can make this moment of reconciliation possible.
It is in this spirit that I humbly appeal to you to exercise the constitutional powers vested in your office to grant clemency, lift all restrictions, and allow former President Ernest Bai Koroma to return home permanently—not only to bury his brother, but to live out his retirement in peace.
Your Excellency, I recognise the weight of this request. But I also recognise your lifelong commitment to Sierra Leone, a commitment for which you once risked your life. I appeal to that same patriotism, that same courage, and that same sense of national duty. Temper justice with mercy. Let compassion prevail over division. Let statesmanship rise above politics.
Do this, Sir, not for political gain, but for the soul of our nation. Do it because both you and former President Koroma have been entrusted with the rare honour of leading Sierra Leone. History remembers such moments—moments when leaders choose unity over rivalry, healing over bitterness, and legacy over conflict.
Your Excellency, I am no prophet, but I believe this act could become a turning point, an icebreaker that ushers in a new era of peace and reconciliation. Years from now, it may be remembered as one of your most enduring national legacies.
Let us not wait for tragedy to force our hands. Let us not allow a former Head of State to return only under the shadow of sorrow. He served this nation in his own way; he deserves the dignity of returning home while he still lives.
And finally, Your Excellency, imagine the message it would send to the world, and to future generations, if you were to stand side by side with former President Koroma at the burial of Chairman Minkailu Mansaray. It would be a powerful reminder that, despite our political differences, the interests of Sierra Leone must always come first.
With profound respect for your office and unwavering hope in your leadership,
I remain,
Adams Bangura
Member, APC‑UK
Diaspora 6th Region