The lieutenant colonel was one of the 27 men court-martialed for their participation in the attempted coup on November 26.

Reuters reported that a military court in Sierra Leone has sentenced 24 soldiers to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in a failed coup attempt against President Julius Maada Bio's government last November. The court announced the sentences late on Friday, with terms ranging from 50 to 120 years for those convicted.

These 24 soldiers were among 27 individuals court-martialed for their participation in the coup attempt on November 26. During this event, gunmen attacked military barracks, two prisons, and other locations, resulting in the escape of approximately 2,200 inmates and the deaths of over 20 people.

The sentencing follows the earlier imprisonment in July of 11 civilians, police officers, and prison officers for their roles in the insurrection.

A seven-member military jury found most of the soldiers guilty by unanimous verdict after extensive deliberations. The accused faced 88 charges in total, including mutiny, murder, aiding the enemy, and theft of public or service property. The court found only one lieutenant colonel among the accused guilty, who received the harshest sentence of 120 years.

Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba, a former military officer, emphasized that the sentences were intended to convey a message of zero tolerance for such acts within the military.

Of the remaining three individuals, one was acquitted, another had been sentenced earlier for pleading guilty, and the third’s trial will be concluded at a later date.

The courtroom was filled with the cries of family members as the sentences were delivered. This failed coup attempt came in the wake of President Bio's narrow victory in the recent election, which was contested by the main opposition APC party and questioned by some local and international observers for its transparency.