State Lodge, the presidential residence in Sierra LeoneJos Leijdekkers is described as a frequent visitor to State Lodge, the lavish presidential residence in Sierra Leone, in a recent article by New Lines Magazine that follows his travels and affiliations. Staff and security guards stationed at the compound took notice when Leijdekkers was spotted there several times, the magazine reported.
According to a security officer who spoke to New Lines, a well-dressed man occasionally visited State Lodge and, on his way out, would throw $100 notes to the group of guards as he headed for a fancy SUV. One man identified as Omar Sheriff reportedly gained widespread recognition among the presidential residence staff as “Jagaban,” a local term for a wealthy, powerful person who commands respect. The magazine claims that this nickname accurately captured how State Lodge employees felt about Leijdekkers’ presence.
Leijdekkers allegedly started appearing in public in Freetown with Agnes Bio, the president’s daughter from an extramarital affair, as state officials allegedly accommodated his activities. The magazine notes Agnes Bio’s educational background in France and Switzerland and says she took on an advisory role at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after her father became president, later joining Sierra Leone’s U.N. mission in New York. According to New Lines, she maintained an active social life in the capital and was well-known on the nightlife circuit with local celebrities.
The precise origins of their acquaintance are not documented in the report, but by mid-2024 Leijdekkers and Agnes Bio were observed together in public.
Locally he became known by the sobriquet “The Turk” and was described around town as her “white lover,” a label the magazine says signalled his effective integration into the social orbit of the first family.
New Lines points to social media footage that surfaced in early 2025 showing Leijdekkers at public events in late 2024. During a ceremonial rice harvest in Tihun, the president’s hometown, in October 2024, he is seen standing between the president and his daughter, wearing shorts and a baseball cap, as he stoops to collect a bundle of rice while the villagers applaud. In another video that went viral, he can be seen in the crowd at an Agnes Bio Foundation event at the Radisson Blu hotel in Freetown; as the camera moves around the group of diplomats and NGO employees, he seems to turn away.
According to New Lines, the couple became engaged in November 2024. As his standing in the ruling family appears to have improved, Leijdekkers reportedly celebrated with a lavish party, bringing in Afrobeats artists Tiwa Savage and Ayra Starr for a private performance at his Two Seasons resort on Nov. 29. The magazine refers to the event as an extravagant, invite-only engagement party.
