The permission granted Mr Koroma is coming amid rumours that he had agreed to go on exile in Nigeria if all charges against him were dropped.

Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma has been granted permission to seek medical attention in Nigeria.

He was granted permission by a Sierra Leone High Court, according to a BBC report.

Mr Koroma was arrested and charged with treason against his country, misprision of treason, and two counts of harbouring suspects. He was later granted conditional bail including that he could not leave his house except permitted by the Inspector-General of Police.

The Sierra Leone government had previously said the hearing of the case against the former president will resume today 17 January when they would be ready to bring in witnesses.

The permission granted Mr Koroma is coming amid rumours that he had agreed to go on exile in Nigeria if all charges against him were dropped.

According to the BBC, anonymous sources from the United Nations and ECOWAS said the sub-regional bloc (ECOWAS) had brokered a deal for Mr Koroma to go into exile in Nigeria if the charges were dropped.

The BBC also saw a letter saying Mr Koroma had agreed to the deal, which would see him continue to enjoy the perks of a former president even while in Nigeria.

However, Sierra Leone's Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the BBC the government did not support the proposal, describing it as a "unilateral proposition" by the president of the ECOWAS Commission.

Mr Koroma was president of the West African country for 11 years until 2018 when current President Julius Bio succeeded him.