‘Very Bad’, Buhari’s camp fumes as ECOWAS puts army on standby

As leaders of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set to crush Niger putschists, Bashir Ahmad, an aide to the immediate past president, Mohammadu Buhari has reacted to media colouration of the ongoing political instability in the troubled Sahel region.

TRIBUNE ONLINE earlier reported ECOWAS on Thursday, at the end of its second extraordinary meeting held in Abuja to address the political crisis in Niger, had ordered the deployment of standby military troops to restore constitutional order in the Niger Republic.

The resolve to deploy force comes days after the military junta in Niger defied the ECOWAS deadline to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

Reacting to the ECOWAS order, Ahmad warned media outlets against pushing the narrative that the body has decided to use military intervention.

According to him, the use of war in this stance entails more complex factors.

“Following the recent pronouncement on the next line of actions to be taken by the ECOWAS in Niger Republic, some people, including many of our media outlets, are busy driving the general public into a conclusion that Nigeria and ECOWAS resolved to use military intervention in the undoubtedly our most important neighbor. Very bad!

“We should be aware that war entails complex factors, as seen recently in Sudan and the Russia-Ukraine tensions. Let’s also learn from history, like America’s prolonged conflicts in the Middle East. Peace prevails!”

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