Freetown, 18th May 2026- Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, has dismissed claims of any connection between her family and Dutch drug kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted criminals, during a candid exchange on the BBC programme The Interview with journalist Megha Mohan.
Asked directly if she knew Leijdekkers, Mrs. Bio replied: “I have no idea who he is.” When pressed further, she added: “I would not know because I’m not a criminal.”
The BBC interviewer noted allegations that Leijdekkers was married to President Bio’s daughter and that they had a child together. Mrs. Bio rejected the claims outright: “Really? Well, maybe in another life. These are all the lies I am not going to validate.”
The discussion followed the circulation of a video posted on January 1 showing a church service attended by members of Sierra Leone’s first family. Mrs. Bio clarified that her social media regularly features videos from public events, including Christmas and New Year services, and insisted she has no control over who else attends such gatherings.
“I don’t bring people into church. I’m a Muslim, so when I go to church service, it means I’m invited like every other person. Whoever is in that room is none of my business,” she said.
