Former President H.E Ernest Bai Koroma - Forum News
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Claim: A viral post on Facebook and WhatsApp claims that former Sierra Leonean President, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, has died in Ghana and that the All People’s Congress (APC) officially announced his passing.
Verdict: False! The claim is false because individuals connected to former President Koroma and the APC dismissed the report as fake. DUBAWA also found no official statement from the All People’s Congress, or any credible media organisation, confirming his alleged death.
Full Text
A rumour circulating widely on Facebook through a post by Radical Political Movement and on WhatsApp carried what appeared to be an official APC press release claiming that former President Ernest Bai Koroma had died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana.
The statement further claimed that the APC National Secretariat received an official confirmation from his family and authorities that funeral arrangements would be announced later.
Given the public interest surrounding the news about the former president, DUBAWA investigated the authenticity of the viral statement. A similar post was made here.
The Facebook post has generated over 100 likes and comments, with followers expressing mixed reactions.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted persons linked to former President Ernest Bai Koroma and the APC for clarification.
One of the individuals contacted, Sheridan Kamara, a member of the APC in Parliament, dismissed the claim as false. DUBAWA also contacted Mr Ibrahim Bah, a clerk working for Abdul Karim Kamra, commonly called A.K.K., in Parliament, who similarly described the report as fake.
In addition, DUBAWA found no official statement from the APC Political Party confirming the alleged death, and no credible local or international media report supporting the claim.
Fifty Facebook posts scraped using Apify Facebook Scrapers reveal a pattern in which the Radical Political Movement page consistently uses inflammatory language, personal attacks, and unsupported claims as a political communication strategy. The posts portray the SLPP as democratic and peaceful, while framing the APC as corrupt and prone to violence. These claims lack verifiable evidence.
Examples include statements such as “APC Ernest Bai Koroma planning to rule for a third term through Dr. Ibrahim Bangura,” as well as insults like “useless, hungry and desperate APC politicians” and “useless, empty, big-headed politician.”
This pattern is indicative of a disinformation strategy designed to incite division and suppress opposing political viewpoints.
Screenshot of the claim on WhatsApp
DUBAWA further observed inconsistencies in the viral document, including questionable formatting and the absence of publication on verified APC communication platforms.Conclusion
The viral claim alleging that former President Ernest Bai Koroma died in Ghana is false. Persons connected to the APC and the former president dismissed the report as fake, while no official or credible source has confirmed the alleged death.
