The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS has given soldiers who detained and ousted the democratically elected president, Mohammed Bazoum one week to release and reinstate him to his office.
The directive followed an extraordinary meeting of leaders of ECOWAS members States at the State House, Abuja on Sunday.
The meeting was called by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who doubles as ECOWAS Chairperson to examine the ongoing development in the Niger Republic.
Last Wednesday, soldiers in charge of the Presidential palace led by Abdourahamane Tiani staged a palace coup where they detained and ousted Bazoum, the democratically elected president of the Republic of Niger.
The military dissolved all democratic institutions in a country rated as one of the poorest in the West African sub region.
ECOWAS, in the wake of the crisis sent a high- powered delegation to mediate to chart a peaceful part for the country but no concrete mediation took place as the leader of the coup, Tiani barely 48 hours after seizing the president, declared himself the head of state.
Tiani was appointed by the Bazoum:s predecessor,Mahamadou Issoufou as head of the presidential guards in 2011 described the coup as response to” the degradation of the security situation ” linked to jihadist bloodshed as well as corruption and economic woes”
At the meeting in Abuja, ECOWAS while recognising Bazoum as the legitimate president of Niger also imposed land and border closures and suspending all commercial flights between Niger and ECOWAS member -states and freezing of assets &accounts and stopping energy supply to the country.
President of the commission,Omar Touray who announced the decision of the bloc said all chiefs of Defence Staff of the member states will immediately proceed for an emergency meeting to strategize on effective ways to implement a possible military operation “to restore; constitutional order in the Republic of Niger
“Such measures may include the use of force”
