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| Photo of Former Resident Minister North, Abu Abu Koroma. |
By: Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh
Claim: A viral Facebook post claims that the former Resident Minister North, Honourable Abu Abu Koroma, has been indefinitely suspended from office in 2025.
Verdict: Misleading - The press release being circulated is from May 10, 2020, not recent. While Abu Abu Koroma was suspended in 2020, he was reinstated on June 11, 2020.
Full text
A Facebook post from a page called Fans of Queen Biba's Blog has resurfaced online and gone viral. It claims that Honourable Abu Abu Koroma, a former Resident Minister North, has been indefinitely suspended from office for misconduct and misrepresentation of the Sierra Leonean government. The claim was also circulated in other Facebook groups, as seen here.
The post includes a scanned copy of an official press release from the Office of the President. The release, which stated the suspension, was officially signed and stamped, though with no legible name. This has led many social media users to believe that the action was taken recently, in 2025.
A Facebook user, Zack Jai, commented on a post asking for "the picture of the person who has been suspended, please." Another user, Fujimibrahim Nabay, responded, "What about the other Mende men who threaten the country's security daily?" These comments were among many shared across both Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
Some users took the post at face value, believing the suspension was recent, while others pointed out its timing inconsistencies and expressed skepticism. The rapid spread of the post, particularly through WhatsApp and Facebook, raised concerns about its potential to mislead the public.
As a fact-checker, I was concerned about the quick circulation and intense public engagement with the claim. This urgency prompted an investigation to clarify the true context and prevent misinformation from distorting public opinion or exacerbating political misunderstandings.
Verification
However, upon close investigation using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools, our fellow found the post misleading in its timing and context.
A screenshot of the claim shows that it happened 5 years ago and mainly trended on Facebook.
The press release is clearly dated 10th May 2020, and the post fails to mention that the action took place five years ago, during President Julius Maada Bio's first term. Some users commenting on the post mistakenly assume it reflects a recent or ongoing political event, which it does not.
The suspension was issued in 2020 after controversial remarks made by Koroma were deemed to have misrepresented the government and incited violence. The suspension was publicly confirmed and reported in multiple credible media outlets at the time, including Cocorioko and Politico SL.
But on June 11, 2020, President Bio reinstated Koroma as Resident Minister North. In November 2021, he was re-elected as the SLPP North-East Regional Chairman. By December 2024, Abu Abu Koroma was appointed the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Public Transport Authority. As of May 2025, Abu Abu Koroma is no longer serving as Resident Minister. The current Resident Minister North is Ibrahim Jalloh, who Parliament approved in December 2024.
Conclusion
The viral claim that Abu Abu Koroma was suspended in 2025 is misleading. The release in circulation is an authentic press release from May 2020, not a recent development. While Mr. Koroma was suspended in 2020, he was reinstated a month later and has since held other governmental roles. As of now, he is not serving as Resident Minister. The post is a case of recirculating old information without proper context, which distorts public perception.
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