Bodyguard of Sierra Leone's ex-leader jailed over failed coup

Amadu Koita Makalo, a former bodyguard of Sierra Leone's ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, has been sentenced to 182 years in prison for treason, murder, and attempted murder, along with 10 others, over a failed coup last year.

The coup attempt involved attacks on a military barracks and prisons, resulting in over 2,000 prisoners being freed and at least 20 people killed.

Makalo, a vocal government critic, showed no remorse during the trial.

His co-accused received sentences ranging from 39 to 182 years. Former President Koroma, charged with treason related to the coup, is currently in Nigeria on medical grounds.

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