by Fatima Babih, EdD
When the institution meant to fight corruption becomes the weapon of the corrupt, democracy dies. In Sierra Leone, that weapon is now firmly in the hands of the most corrupt and destructive First Lady in West Africa today, Fatima Bio.
A damning letter sent on June 4, 2025, by Octea Limited to Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Ben Kaifala, has exposed the ugly truth about how far our nation has fallen.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), once an institution designed to uphold justice and accountability, has been transformed into a personal vendetta machine for a woman consumed by First Lady Syndrome, drunk on power, and preparing for her political takeover in the country.
This is not just institutional capture. This is the systematic destruction of Sierra Leone’s democracy by a woman who believes herself above the law and accountability.
Koidu Limited Fights Back
The letter from Octea to the head of ACC, Francis Ben Kaifala, sends a desperate alert to the international community that political vendettas have hijacked Sierra Leone’s regulatory bodies.
And at the center of this vendetta is Fatima Jabbie Bio, the country’s UNBECOMING First Lady.
In scathing language that pulls no punches, the company accuses the ACC of:
- Unjustifiably freezing company bank accounts without credible evidence
- Acting on direct instructions from the First Lady rather than following due process
- Intimidating staff and disrupting operations to settle personal scores
- Serving as a tool of political intimidation rather than justice
But the most explosive allegation is that Ben Kaifala and Fatima Bio,
Walk side-by-side and hand-in-hand, bound not by a shared commitment to justice but by political ambition and personal loyalty.
The action of the ACC against Koidu Holdings is not governance. It is gangsterism wrapped in the flag of public service.
The Puppet Master and Her Strings
As Octea states, it is no secret in Sierra Leone that Ben Kaifala, like many other ministers, owes his appointment as ACC Commissioner to Fatima Bio’s manipulations in her husband’s administration. This debt Kaifala owes to Fatima Bio creates a conflict of interest so profound that it mocks the entire anti-corruption framework.
The bitter irony is that while Kaifala pursues his government’s investment partner at the behest of his benefactor Fatima Bio, he maintains conspicuous silence about credible corruption allegations against Fatima Bio herself, including:
- Globetrotting in private jets funded by Sierra Leone taxpayers
- Suspicious wealth accumulation in The Gambia worth over $2 million
- Systematic looting of Sierra Leone’s treasury documented by multiple investigations
- Fraudulent public housing schemes in the United Kingdom while serving as First Lady
Ben Kaifala, who should investigate these crimes instead, is the enabler and protector of the alleged criminal, Fatima Bio.
Failure of the $50 Million Shakedown
The Koidu Holdings scandal reveals Fatima Bio’s modus operandi: demand, threaten, and weaponize state institutions when extortion fails.
After demanding $50 million from Koidu Holdings and threatening legal action, threats she never followed through because she had no legal basis, Fatima Bio turned to her alleged puppet Ben Kaifala at the ACC to finish the job through government institutional harassment.
This pattern should terrify every current and potential international investor, civil society leader, and ordinary citizen in Sierra Leone. If Fatima Bio can destroy a major investor like Koidu Holdings on a whim, who among us is safe?
The Ultimate 2028 Power Grab
This abuse of power cannot be separated from Fatima Bio’s political ambitions. Campaign materials on social media recently suggest she is positioning herself for the SLPP flagbearer position in 2028.
Yes, a chronically corrupt woman that Sierra Leoneans have witnessed over seven years,
- Systematically usurp government and donor funds in the name of girls and women
- Openly bullying women in the SLPP and usurping the party’s resources
- Weaponizing the country’s anti-corruption and other institutions
- Destroying the livelihood of poor Koidu workers, the company, and communities
- Deep in fraudulent activities in multiple countries
So, that woman, Fatima Jabbie Bio who allegedly has a criminal rap sheet longer than her fake list of accomplishments , now wants to become President of Sierra Leone?
As I warned in my book, The UNBECOMING Mrs. Maada Bio of Sierra Leone…, Fatima Bio’s hunger for power led her to propose to then-presidential candidate Julius Bio, and that hunger was never confined to the shadows of the presidency. She wants the whole pie for herself.
But how low have we set the bar for leadership in Sierra Leone so that an unscrupulous figure like Fatima Bio feels emboldened to seek our nation’s highest office?
The Human Wreckage
While Fatima Bio plots her political future from the luxury of State Lodge, the human cost of her illegal interference in Koidu continues to mount.
The displaced workers of Koidu, their families, and communities are the forgotten victims of Fatima Bio’s hostilities:
- Children in Koidu no longer have bus transportation to school, which Koidu Holdings once provided
- Hundreds of families have lost their livelihoods without compensation, justice, or support from Fatima Bio.
- Entire communities live in fear and poverty while their tormentor, Fatima Bio, lives large and campaigns on hollow slogans.
- Koidu’s economy has been devastated by Fatima Bio’s destruction of its major employer.
These are not statistics. These are Sierra Leonean families whose lives have been shattered for one woman’s political ambitions.
Democracy Under Siege
What we are witnessing as Sierra Leoneans goes far beyond the abuse of one institution or the destruction of one company. This is the systematic destruction of Sierra Leone’s democracy by one woman who believes herself to be the supreme dictator.
The warning signs are everywhere:
- Independent institutions captured and turned into Fatima Bio’s weapons
- The rule of law has been replaced by the whims of a corrupt, power-hungry First Lady
- Government officials, journalists, and civil society are intimidated into silence through state harassment
- A complicit president enables his wife’s excesses through silence
Julius Maada Bio’s silence, his ministers’ complicity, and the misuse of the ACC are symptoms of a grave syndrome in Sierra Leone, where corruption is normalized and impunity is celebrated.
The Sound of Silence
To those who believe Fatima Bio is fit for any leadership role in Sierra Leone, look no further than Koidu City.
Are you listening? That silence you hear is the sound of communities crushed under the weight of Fatima Bio’s ambition, deceit, and unchecked power.
It is the silence of workers who are afraid to speak out for fear of losing what little they have left.
It is the silence of institutions that have abandoned their constitutional mandate to serve a woman they perceive as powerful instead of serving justice.
It is the silence of a democracy dying a slow death while its killer prepares for her next assault.
A Nation’s Soul at Stake
Sierra Leoneans face a stark choice: Will we allow this systematic destruction of our democracy to continue, or will we act while we still can?
This is not just about Fatima Bio or even the Bio administration. This is about the soul of Sierra Leone itself.
- Will we be a nation where institutions serve justice or where they serve the personal interests of those in power?
- Will we be a democracy where the law applies equally to all or a dictatorship where the powerful prey upon the weak with impunity?
- Will we be a country where businesses and civil society can operate freely or one where they live in fear of state-sponsored persecution?
Our actions or our silence will provide answers to these questions.
Fatima Bio’s transformation from First Lady to government institutional dictator represents everything wrong with Sierra Leone’s trajectory under her husband’s leadership. Her weaponization of the ACC is not just an attack on Koidu Holdings but on every Sierra Leonean who believes in justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
The people of Koidu are watching, as are the international business and donor communities.
MAMA SALONE ~ Lioness of the West Coast 