Niger: ECOWAS Chiefs Of Defence Meet In Abuja, Give Fresh Directive On Military Intervention

The Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African Nations (ECOWAS) member countries on Friday held another meeting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city over the coup in Niger Republic.

Naija News reports the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff after their meeting, urged Niger’s Military to give peace a chance by releasing President Muhamed Bazoum and return the country to Democracy.

The West African defence chiefs have however made a plan for potential military intervention in Niger.

But according to the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the regional bloc will not divulge to the coup plotters when and where it will strike. He added that the decision will be taken by the heads of state.

“All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out here, including the resources needed, the how and when we are going deploy the force,” he said at the close of a three-day meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.

Recall ECOWAS chairman, President Bola Tinubu, had on Friday written to the Nigerian Senate, seeking the approval of the lawmakers to deploy troops through ECOWAS to Niger in order to oust the coup leaders from power.

This follows the failure of his special delegation to the West African country from securing any deal with the coup leaders. The delegation consisted of former military head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar.