Abdourahmane Tchiani, the leader of the coup in Niger, has provided justifications for his refusal to speak with an ECOWAS delegation headed by former Nigerian military chief Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Mr. Tchiani claimed that the coup leaders were irate that ECOWAS did not hear them out before giving them an ultimatum, according to a statement signed by an Islamic scholar, Bala Lau, who accompanied a group of Nigerian Islamic scholars to meet with the coup leader in Niamey.
However, he expressed regret for his behavior and noted that the junta was open to exploring peace and diplomacy as a means of resolving the situation.
The statement did not, however, mention whether Mr. Tchiani also expressed regret for meeting with representatives from the AU, UN, and US.
Mr. Tchiani asserted that the coup was well-intentioned and that it was carried out to thwart an impending threat that would have affected both Nigeria and Niger. However, he was not quoted as stating what the immediate threat was in the statement.
The coup leader continued by saying that Nigeria and Niger were not only close neighbors, but also siblings who ought to settle disagreements amicably.
The Nigerian delegation and the coup leader agreed to discuss utilizing dialogue to settle the political problem in Niger further during their discussion.
Recall, the Islamic scholars met with Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and chair of ECOWAS, last week to discuss the role of dialogue in settling the crisis. They also asked to be permitted to intervene, and the Nigerian leader granted their request.
Mr. Lau informed the coup leader that his visit to Niger was intended to engage in productive discussion in order to persuade him and the other military figures who supported the coup to choose peace over war as a means of resolving the problem.
After the meeting, another member of the intervention team and the Chief Missioner of the Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, Abdulrahman Ahmad, spoke with journalists in Niamey and stated that, in contrast to what had been reported in some media outlets, Mr. Tchiani had received the team favorably and the two parties had productive discussions.
“We will now go back home and report to President Tinubu what we have discussed and press it on him that war is not an option in resolving the matter.
“We believe that war is an ill wind that will not blow any good and that peaceful resolution should prevail.”
Scholars from various Islamic organizations in the nation made up the team, including Khalid Aliya, secretary-general of Jammatul Nasril Islam, Ibrahim Bauchi, Dahiru Bauchi, and Yakubu Katsina, director of Daawah of JIBWIS. Kabiru Gombe, secretary of Jamatul izalatul bida waikamatul sunnah, was also a member.
Nigerians and the rest of the world will wait to see how the cleric’s visit would affect the situation in Niger, especially in light of the ECOWAS decision to use force to remove the putschists if they do not restore control to imprisoned President Mohamed Bazoum.
