Coup: Tension in northern Nigeria as Tinubu seeks military sanctions against Niger

Following Bola Tinubu the president of Nigeria’s decision to pursue military action against the junta in the Niger Republic, palpable fear has engulfed Nigerians, particularly those in the north.

Following the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, by his military guard last week, Platinum Times Nigeria reported that regional leaders of the West African bloc are putting together plans to bring democracy back to that nation.

Remember that on July 27, some 10 senior military officers, commanded by Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane, announced a coup in Niger via a national broadcast due to alleged bad governance and the government’s incapacity to address security issues and other problems plaguing the nation.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by its newly elected Chairman, President Bola Tinubu, moved swiftly to put an end to another military regime in the area. The ECOWAS handed the junta a seven-day deadline to return to normalcy or face harsh sanctions.

The request was made last week during a crisis conference in Abuja, Nigeria.

The leaders of West Africa agreed on seven political penalties that would force the military to submit, according to a communiqué issued after the summit. They asserted that West African States would guarantee:

“Closure and monitoring of all land borders with the Niger Republic and reactivation of the border drilling exercise.

”Cutting off Electricity supply to the Niger Republic

”Mobilising international support for the implementation of the provisions of the ECOWAS communique

“Preventing the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic

“Blockade of goods in transit to Niger especially from Lagos and eastern seaports

“Embarking on sensitization of Nigerians and Nigerians on the imperative of these actions, particularly via social media

“Military build-up and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant”

On August 3, Tinubu sent a mission to Niger with instructions to swiftly break the country’s political deadlock in an effort to carry out the resolutions.

Following a briefing by President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, the team, led by former Nigerian Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), departed for Niamey on Thursday.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray, joined the former head of state of Nigeria in the trip.

Platinum Times Nigeria learned that the Nigerien military had promised to oppose the ECOWAS leadership’s resolutions, hence the delegation’s efforts were not producing any fruitful results.

According to a person acquainted with the situation who asked to remain anonymous, Tinubu’s request to the Senate for authorization of military strikes against the junta was prompted by the Nigerien soldiers’ failure to find a solution.

“Military action was the last thing the ECOWAS proposed but from the look of things, the soldiers in Niger are not ready for talks.

“So there is a need for the President to prepare ahead. The Nigerian soldiers cannot go on such a mission without the approval of the National Assembly. From the reports and videos we have been seeing, the Niger soldiers have established ties with Russia and other powerful nations waiting for war.

“Who knows their plan? We all saw the protest that was held in Niamey on Friday where they were raining all sorts of insults on our president. We need to prepare ahead”.

He said, “In the first place, we have not even exhausted all the necessary tools before arriving at the conclusion that we need to go for war.

“The decision is coming in a haste. I don’t think Nigeria is prepared to go to war now. Don’t forget that we have serious internal issues that are already threatening our existence.

“Don’t forget that if war should break out from Niger, the North will be directly affected. I don’t understand why we are taking Panadol for somebody’s headaches. Citizens of Niger are jubilating over the coup and we are here carrying another man’s cross on our head.

“This means there is more to what we are seeing and hearing. It is my view that the President should be very careful and the Senate should also be careful not to give any approval immediately.

“We don’t have that money to spend and we don’t have such manpower to waste now. It is too early to be talking about invading the country.

“Don’t forget that Russia has an interest in this case. I’m not in support of war for now. Let us be mindful of our own internal challenges so that we don’t invite trouble to ourselves.”

However, hours after Tinubu’s letter to the Senate, the ECOWAS security committee, which is made up of the military heads of various West African nations, declared that it would prefer diplomacy in Niger over the junta’s current efforts there.

The chiefs promised that increased diplomatic efforts would be made to communicate with all key parties and make sure that communication and negotiation were at the center of the strategy to end the crisis in the Republic of Niger.

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