Julius Maada Bio

While studying in the USA, Julius Maada Bio married Francess Bio. They had three children; Ivan Bio, Agnes Bio and Charlie Bio. Nothing else is known about this marriage.

Possibly in 2013, he married his long time companion, popular Gambian actress Fatima Jabbi in a private ceremony in London. In 2015, a baby girl was born to them. She has been named Amina Maada Bio.

Julius Maada Bio was born on 12 May 1964, in Tihun, a village in the Sogbini Chiefdom, located just outside Mattru Jong in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. His father, Charlie Bio II, was the Paramount Chief of the Sogbini Chiefdom.

His mother’s name was Amina. Little is known about her except that she was calm, hardworking, calculative and had a strong belief in God. In an interview he had later said that he acquired most of his values and driving principles of his life from her.

Named after his paternal grandfather, who was also the paramount chief of Sogbini Chiefdom before his father, Julius grew up in a large family consisting of forty-five members. His mother was one of his father’s nine wives while he was born 33rd of his father’s thirty-five children.

Julius began his education at a Roman Catholic Primary School in Tihun. But very shortly, he was sent to live with his elder sister Agnes, a primary school teacher in Pujehun. During this period, she became more of a mother to him.

In Pujehun, he was admitted to the Holy Family Primary School, where he studied for five years. Thereafter, he was sent to study at Bo Government Secondary School, a boarding school for boys located in Bo Town, the largest city in the Southern Province.

In October 1987, Julius Maada Bio graduated from the military academy as a Second Lieutenant. His first posting was at the Lungi Airport. But shortly, he was shifted to the newly created Economic Emergency Unit and posted in the Kambia District to counter the already deepening criminal activities along the Guinean border.

In 1988, he was brought back to Lungi to be trained in aviation security by the United Nation forces. After completion of the training, he became a platoon commander at Benguema.

In 1989, the First Civil War broke out in Liberia, causing a massive humanitarian problem and mass exodus to Sierra Leone. In 1990, West African leaders set up Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to which Sierra Leone was to contribute troops.

Bio was initially posted at Gendema, located at the border. Very soon, they received news that Liberian rebel leader, Charles Taylor, was planning to invade Sierra Leone.

Although they sent the news to Freetown, nothing came of it. Shortly after that, Bio was sent to Liberia as his country’s contribution.

While Bio and Hirsch were talking about changing the system, they were visited by another young officer, Captain Valentine Strasser. They eventually planned the coup, which was to take place on the night of 29 April, 1992.

While Straaser moved to Freetown, where he mobilized f40 hardcore soldiers, Bio remained at Segbwema. On the night of 29 April, he moved to Freetown; so did Lieutenant Sahr Sandy, Lieutenant Solomon Musa, Lieutenant Tom Nyuma and Captain Komba Mondeh.

The soldiers occupied the State House very easily while President Joseph Saidu Momoh fled to Guinea, where he spent rest of his life as the guest of the country’s government. Eventually National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) was formed and Strasser became the Head of State of Sierra Leone.

Until then a Second Lieutenant, Julius Maada Bio was promoted to the post of the Captain after the coup. He also became a key member of the Supreme Council of State, simultaneously being appointed to the Secretary of State South and was stationed at Bo Town for a short period.

Possibly in 1993, he was brought back to Freetown as the Secretary of State in charge of Information and Broadcasting. Later in the same year, when Captain S.A.J. Musa, at that time Strasser's deputy, orchestrated some extra judicial killings, Bio took a leading role in sending him to exile.