Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has warned the Economic Community of West African States from intervening militarily in the Niger Republic.
After President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown and imprisoned by generals in Niger, the ECOWAS defence chiefs on Thursday expressed their willingness to take part in a standby force that would restore democracy to the country.
El-Rufai issued the following statement on X, formerly known as Twitter: “As ECOWAS plays the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’ since a war inside our subregion is a battle between brothers. Indeed, individuals residing in Northern Nigeria and the Niger Republic are one and the same people.
Therefore, let’s do everything in our power to prevent this conflict amongst brothers.
The Nigerian Guild of Editors reportedly advised President Bola Tinubu to use diplomacy while responding to the coup in the Niger Republic, stating that “military intervention is now regarded as an aberration around the world.”