The $30 million toe in the water

Southwark Council has recovered a taxpayer-subsidized flat held by Fatima Jabbe-Bio, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, who lived in the country's presidential residence since 2018, violating primary residence rules amid a housing crisis.

According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Jabbe-Bio holds a substantial portfolio, including two villas in The Gambia, a luxury apartment, and an entire residential block.

Reginald Popoola, the council's executive member for council homes, expressed relief that the property would now serve its intended purpose of providing safe, secure housing for residents on the waiting list.

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London's social housing waiting list has hit its highest level in a decade, with over 18,000 households awaiting accommodation, and around 4,000 in temporary housing.

Neighbors reported the flat remained largely vacant, with only occasional visits to collect mail, describing it as 'a terrible waste' amid a severe social housing shortage.

Southwark Council confirmed it regained possession of the unit and will reallocate it to a local family in urgent housing need.

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The controversy highlights broader issues of public housing ethics and political privilege.

Robert Jenrick, Treasury spokesman for Reform UK, visited the flat and vowed to end such arrangements if his party forms government.

Jabbe-Bio's scheduled appearance at a Cambridge University women's empowerment conference was canceled after it emerged she had repeatedly declined to condemn female genital mutilation and argued the practice is not harmful.

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The eviction underscores Southwark Council's commitment to enforce residency requirements and address housing need, reclaiming a resource that had sat unused while thousands await shelter.

Jabbe-Bio, a former model and actress born in Sierra Leone, met President Bio in London in 2012 while he was fundraising for his initial presidential campaign; they married the next year.

She defended her right to the council house in a BBC interview, stating her children are British citizens and she pays rent herself, asserting no crime was committed.