Sierra Leone’s Presidential Spokesman, Alpha Kanu, has provided clarification regarding the presence of Jos Leijdekkers, a Dutch national labeled “Europe’s Most Wanted” drug trafficker, who is allegedly residing in the country.

Kanu made the statements during an interview with AYV, stressing that police investigations are ongoing to confirm the individual’s true identity.

Kanu stated that while Dutch authorities identify the individual as Jos Leijdekkers, Sierra Leonean police records point to the name Umarr Sheriff.

“Yes, Jos Leijdekkers, if that is his name, but the police tell us that the man whose photograph was shown is the man called Umarr Sheriff, and the Dutch said it’s Jos Leijdekkers, we don’t know that,” Kanu explained.

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The spokesman pushed back against international suggestions that Sierra Leone was solely responsible for the fugitive’s presence.

“He didn’t fall from the sky into Sierra Leone, he came from somewhere,” Kanu asserted, noting that the individual “left the Netherlands and went to Belgium, where they allowed him to leave, and then, when he ended up, looking just like Jos Leijdekkers, Umarr Sheriff in this country, and they say it is Sierra Leone that has been responsible for that. I think it is not fair.”

Regarding the extradition of the alleged fugitive, Kanu confirmed that the process is underway. “If he is here, and that person hasn’t committed any crime yet in Sierra Leone, and they allege he has committed crimes out there in their country, there are processes, and it is ongoing at the Attorney General Office, and they are working closely with the Dutch anti-general Office,” he said.

Kanu urged the public to allow law enforcement to conclude its investigation to definitively determine if the individual is “Umarr Sheriff or it’s Jos Leijdekkers.” He concluded that once the Attorney General’s office receives the final report, they will formally respond, confirming that they are currently in communication with Dutch authorities.

Kanu’s comments come amidst mounting public scrutiny regarding Leijdekkers.

Earlier, opposition politician Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray alleged that Agnes Bio, the daughter of President Julius Maada Bio, had given birth to a child fathered by Leijdekkers in New York. The allegations, which are unverified, have not received immediate official comment from the Bio family or State House.

Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison in the Netherlands for trafficking over seven tonnes of cocaine. The alleged relationship between him and President Bio’s daughter first drew public attention following a lavish engagement party in Freetown on November 29, 2024.

Authorities have previously acknowledged that Leijdekkers entered Sierra Leone using a Turkish nickname, Omar Sheriff.

Efforts by the Dutch government to extradite him have reportedly been complicated by the lack of a formal extradition treaty and unconfirmed rumors that Leijdekkers may have illegally obtained Sierra Leonean citizenship.