ECOWAS delegation, Abdulsalami returns after failure to meet Bazoum, Tiani

According to the Nigerian Presidency, the group was initially scheduled to meet with Tiani to present ECOWAS’s demands.

The chairman of the junta that overthrew the government in the Republic of Niger and former President Mohamed Bazoum were not bothered by a delegation from the West African regional group ECOWAS as they left the country.

The party led by former Nigerian military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar was unable to spend the night in Niger as planned, a delegation member claimed on Friday.

According to a team member, the ECOWAS group arrived in the capital Niamey on Thursday, “but did not spend the night” as planned, nor did they meet with the deposed president Mohamed Bazoum or coup leader Abdourahamane Tiani.

According to the Nigerian Presidency, Alarabiya News reported that the group was initially scheduled to meet with Tiani to present ECOWAS’s demands.

The putschists were given a week on Sunday to restore Bazoum to power, and the sanctions were applied. Regional superpower Nigeria currently holds the rotating president of ECOWAS.

However, ECOWAS stated it could turn to military involvement as a last resort, despite Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, saying the group will try its best to resolve the problem diplomatically.

The junta in Niger issued a threat to use force in a statement carried on national television late on Thursday.

According to the statement, “Any aggression or attempted aggression against the State of Niger will see an immediate and unannounced response from the Niger Defense and Security Forces on one of (the bloc’s) members.”