By John Ikani
President Bola Tinubu has penned a letter to the Nigerian Senate, apprising them of ECOWAS’ intentions to take military action and impose sanctions on the military officers who seized power in Niger Republic.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, read the letter during plenary on Friday.
The letter titled “Political situation in Niger” reads:
“Following the unfortunate political situation in the Niger Republic culminating in the overthrow of its President, ECOWAS under my leadership condemned the coup in its entirety and resolved to seek the return of the democratically elected govt. in a bid to restore peace, ECOWAS convened a meeting and came out with a communique.
“Closure and monitoring of all land borders with the Niger Republic and reactivating of the border drilling exercise.
” Cutting off Electricity supply to the Niger Republic
” Mobilizing 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”
In case you missed it
On 3rd August 2023, a group of soldiers in Niger Republic staged a coup d’état, ousting the democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum.
The coup leaders, who have not been identified, claimed that they took power because of the government’s “poor management” of the country.
The coup has been condemned by the international community, including the African Union, the United Nations, and the United States.
ECOWAS, the regional bloc of West African states, has suspended Niger’s membership and has threatened to impose sanctions on the country.
The coup has plunged Niger into political uncertainty.
The country is already facing a number of challenges, including a growing threat from terrorist groups and a severe drought.
The coup could make it even more difficult to address these challenges and could lead to further instability in the region.
