Southwark Council in London confirmed it has repossessed a two-bedroom social housing flat in Walworth that was rented by Sierra Leone's First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio. The flat was previously reported by The Times last year. Ms. Jabbe-Bio, who is married to Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio, was listed as a tenant since 2007 and was said to have regularly lived in the flat when Mr. Bio took office in 2018, but she has predominantly resided at the presidential palace in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Housing regulations stipulate that council homes must serve as a tenant's principal residence. The Times investigation cast doubt on whether the flat met that requirement, as neighbors reported rarely seeing Ms. Jabbe-Bio. Following the repossession, Councillor Reginald Popoola, Southwark's cabinet member for social housing, said: 'We confirm that a flat in Walworth has been repossessed following a 12-month investigation by our housing investigation team.' He added that the flat would be allocated to a family on the waiting list.
Ms. Jabbe-Bio, a former model and actress, defended keeping the flat in an interview with the BBC last month. She said: 'My children are all British citizens. I pay my council rent myself. I haven't committed any crime.' There is no indication that Ms. Jabbe-Bio has been charged with any offense.
The case occurs amid growing social housing pressure in London, with waiting lists lengthening and homelessness rising. In Southwark alone, more than 18,000 households are on the social housing waiting list, and roughly 4,000 are living in temporary accommodation. The local authority has stepped up efforts to combat tenancy fraud, repossessing 107 flats over the past two years. Southwark Council has not disclosed details of its investigation into Ms. Jabbe-Bio's tenancy.
