COUP: ECOWAS Attack On Niger Junta Will Turn North, Southern Nigeria To Refugee Camps – Tinubu Pressured To Drop Military Invasion

Femi Fani-Kayode, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Emir of Gwandu, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Ilyasu-Bashar, have pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to drop plans to engage the junta in the Niger Republic in a war.

The junta that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has defied all warnings from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore democracy in the country.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Standby military force recently vowed to intervene in Niger ‘anytime the order is given’ and if all diplomatic channels fail.

But the junta’s leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, warned that any attack on Niger will not be “a walk in the park”, adding that “Our ambition is not to confiscate power.”

But in a tweet on Monday, Femi Fani-Kayode claimed that ECOWAS, particularly, the Nigerian military, is not ready to contain the consequences of war.

He added that as of now, the Nigerian government does not have the financial wherewithal or the resources to manage the crisis if it gets beyond control.

According to him, the South West and parts of the North will be vulnerable to cross-border terrorist attacks.

“In my view, we should still vigorously pursue the application of conflict resolution mechanisms in order to buy time to address these questions.

“If Niger Republic and her allies deliberately open a corridor for the elements of ISIS, AQIM, ISWAP, etc to move into Benin and Togo, ECOWAS’ weakest link, then the whole of Nigeria’s western borders, from Sokoto to Lagos, would be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

“Already some of the elements have penetrated into Niger State, around Borgu and Shiriro, very close to Benin Republic and some states in the South West of Nigeria,” he tweeted, urging FG to embrace dialogue only.

“All our IDPs and refugees are still in camps, we have not been able to resettle them for more than ten years, so how do we handle the additional mass of IDPs and refugees that would definitely result from the crisis? Nigeria would be in deep shit if we go for this adventure,” he added.

For Ilyasu-Bashar, who doubles as the Chairman of the Kebbi Council of Chiefs, northern Nigeria will be negatively impacted if ECOWAS proceeds with its military invasion of Niger.

“If Niger Republic is attacked, the consequences of the attack will not only affect that county alone but also Northern Nigeria, considering the long ties and relationship existing between people of Niger Republic and Northern Nigeria,” he said.

Amid the development, the ECOWAS military chiefs are expected to reconvene this week for its next line of action.