Niger Coup: Varsity Don, CNG Counsel FG against Military Action

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

Former Wazirin Katsina, Prof. Abubakar Lugga and Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) yesterday counselled the federal government against taking military action in the Republic of Niger.

While Lugga warned President Ahmed Bola Tinubu against the use of military force to restore a democratically elected government, CNG kicked against military action in the Niger Republic.

They canvassed the position at separate sessions with journalists yesterday, urging the federal government to intensify diplomacy and dialogue to restore Niger’s constitutional government.

At a session with journalists yesterday, Lugga explained that the plan by the ECOWAS chairman to take military action against Niger would not restore the ousted democratically elected government of President Bazoum.

Rather, according to the varsity don, it will metamorphose into war between the two countries.

In the event of war, Lugga said citizens of Niger Republic and Nigerians, especially those living in Northern states of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Sokoto and Kebbi would suffer the bruise because they are the frontline states.

He, however, wondered how the chairman of ECOWAS would free the embattled Nigerien president and his cabinet members who are in military custody and restore them to power by using force.

He said: “When you want to restore a civilian administration it should be done in a civilian way, not in a military well. We should avoid war and use diplomacy as much as possible.  

“Modern history has shown that after every war, there is always dialogue at the end. Therefore, why destroy lives and property and then sit on the dialogue table to discuss the issue?

“We have failed to free Chibok and Yauri girls. So, how can you free a president and his cabinet who are now in the hands of the military? How do you free him and restore him to power while he is in the custody of the military by using force?”

He therefore admonished Tinubu to address the myriad of security challenges bedevilling Nigeria rather than deploying the nation’s inadequate security personnel to Niger Republic for a “needless war”.

In a statement by its Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman yesterday, CNG warned that a war in Niger would engulf the entire West African sub-region.

It said a sinister international power game “is at play in Niger with western powers, on one hand and Russia as well as China on the other hand.

 CNG explained that some other African countries were playing behind the scenes.

It pointed out that with the development in other Sahel countries that are part of a global power chess game, any military intervention in Niger would be resisted and considered as an invasion by Russia/China, Mali and Burkina Faso.

“That a war in Niger will engulf the entire West African subregion and bring about mass killings and suffering of innocent people.

“That about seven northern Nigerian states that share a border with Niger Republic namely Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno will be negatively affected. 

“That at the moment, the new military junta in Niger Republic enjoys enormous goodwill among the vast majority of the citizens of the country with demonstrations in rural and urban Niger.”

The group stressed that in Nigeria, the tide of public opinion was overwhelmingly against any form of Nigeria-led military aggression to restore civilian rule in Niger.