Tinubu meets govs of northern states sharing boundaries with Niger Republic

Tinubu meets govs of northern states sharing boundaries with Niger Republic

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday met with governors of states sharing boundaries with the Niger Republic.

The held at the presidential villa was attended by representatives states such as Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Katsina, and Jigawa.

The issues discussed were not immediately made known, it was however learnt that it was part of wider consultations by the President on the coup and instability in Niger.

This came following the end of the deadline from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Nigerien military to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) had asked Tinubu to exhaust all diplomatic means in resolving the crisis in the West African country.

The forum warned that deploying Nigerian troops to the Niger Republic would hurt seven northern states —Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno —sharing borders with the country.

While many stakeholders have called for a diplomatic resolution to the political impasse in Niger, it is not clear what steps the regional body would take as the deadline draws to a close.

One week after announcing the ouster of Bazoum, Niger’s new military government reopened the country’s land borders and airspace to Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, and Chad, excluding other ECOWAS member states.

The Nigerian government has closed all its land borders with Niger and cut off electricity supply to the country.

In reaction, Niger’s military recalled its ambassadors in Nigeria, France, the United States and Togo.