The Government of Sierra Leone has confirmed that the Dutch government has official made an extradition request for Jos Leijdekkers.
Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah said on Thursday, 6th February 2025, the Dutch authorities delivered a sealed document to the Sierra Leone embassies in Ghana and Brussels, addressed to the Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He said the documents were forwarded to Freetown on Sunday, 9th February 2025, and were received by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, on Monday, 10th February 2025.
The documents according to him, will undergo a thorough review by the Attorney General, who will provide the necessary legal advice, adding that Sierra Leone is committed to upholding the rule of law and will adhere to the procedures stipulated by the 1974 Extradition Act.
In addition, Minister Bah disclosed that Sierra Leone had previously made two requests to the Dutch government for the extradition of ‘Adebayor’ to face justice in Sierra Leone for alleged atrocities and incitement of violence, but no action was taken.
He noted that Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister and Attorney General visited the Netherlands and submitted all relevant evidence and documentation.
The Sierra Leone Police revealed that their ongoing open-source investigations have linked the accused drug baron, Jos Leijdekkers to the name Umarr Sheriff.
Inspector General of Police, William Fayia Sellu said the primary objective of the police’s open-source investigation is to confirm the true identity of Leijdekkers.
He said a special investigations unit had been activated to analyze open-source data, including photographs circulating on social media and other public platforms.
IG Sellu said: “The open-source data we have examined is from publicly accessible websites and social media. These platforms have helped us generate actionable intelligence”.
He said their investigation had led them to establish that the name being used by the alleged drug trafficker in Sierra Leone is Umarr Sheriff, adding; “as of now, what we have are photos that have been widely shared on social media. We have affixed his name, and he is identified as Umarr Sheriff.”
He said their investigation covered a six-month period during which the accused was believed to have been in Sierra Leone.
“We have visited several locations linked to the individual known as ‘Jos,’ but we have not been able to locate him so far,” IG Sellu said, while calling on the general public to provide any confidential information that might aid in identifying and apprehending the suspect.
According to BBC reports, Jos Leijdekkers, Dutch authorities say is one of Europe’s most-wanted fugitives has been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
He was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on 25 June last year by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine.
Dutch prosecutor Wim de Bruin said the fugitive’s return to the Netherlands was of “the highest priority”.
“We are doing everything we can in that regard but we cannot comment any further because of the ongoing investigation,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) said Leijdekkers has been living in Sierra Leone for about six months.
They said he is known by the nickname Bolle Jos and that until recently he was suspected to be living in Turkey.
Dutch police have described Leijdekkers as “one of the key players in international cocaine trafficking”. A $210,000 (£168,000) reward is being offered for tip-offs that lead to his arrest. This is reportedly the highest amount ever offered for a Dutch fugitive. Leijdekkers is listed as one of the most-wanted fugitives by Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
