JUST-IN: ECOWAS Defence Chiefs Meet In Abuja Over Niger Coup

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, is leading a meeting of Chiefs of Defence Staff from 15 ECOWAS countries in Abuja on Wednesday, discussing the political situation in Niger Republic.

Conspicuously absent are the Defence Chiefs from Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Guinea Bissau, a development indicating the countries’ opposition to ECOWAS’ stance on Niger Republic.

The Committee of Defence Chiefs will deliberate on the political crisis and work towards a resolution within the 7-day ultimatum issued by the ECOWAS leadership on Sunday. The outcome could either stabilise Niger or escalate tensions to war mode.

Countries represented at the meeting include; Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Cote D’Ivoire, Cabo Verde, and Senegal.

LEADERSHIP reports that ECOWAS had on Sunday during an extraordinary summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government chaired by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Military junta in Niger to revert back to the status quo or risk consequences including a possible military action.