•Military chiefs to ahead required variety of males, gear, funds to CDS
•Protest rocks Kano, senior attorneys warn Tinubu in opposition to deploying troopers
•Doctor visits outsted President Bazoum, spouse, son in detention
In compliance with the directives of the Economic Community of West African States, the Defence Headquarters has commenced build-up preparations for the attainable mobilisation of troops and gear for a attainable confrontation with the junta in Niger Republic, findings by Sunday PUNCH have proven.
However, the ECOWAS Parliament is divided over using army may to drive the junta, which overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, out of energy and to reinstate the Nigerien President.
The Nigerian army excessive command, it was gathered, had directed the service chiefs to compile and submit war necessities such because the variety of personnel, gear, logistics and monetary prices to the Chief of Defence Staff.
One of our correspondents gathered on Friday that this was the preliminary stage within the planning technique of amassing human and materials sources required for the deliberate army intervention in Niger.
A leaked memo indicated that about two battalions could be required to prosecute the war in opposition to the junta in Niger Republic.
A battalion is a army unit sometimes consisting of 300 to 1,000 troopers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a lot of firms (often every commanded by a serious or a captain).
But a army supply mentioned the full variety of troops needs to be not less than “10 times more than that of the enemy.”
Apart from Nigeria, Senegal, Benin and Ivory Coast, different ECOWAS member states are anticipated to commit troops to the standby drive.
ECOWAS had on Thursday activated its standby drive for army motion in opposition to the junta in Niger Republic.
The resolution was taken at a unprecedented summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government hosted by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The summit was attended by prime diplomats from the United Nations, African Union and the regional bloc.
The junta led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani had defiantly refused to yield to entreaties and diplomatic stress to reinstate Bazoum, who has been in detention at his residence because the takeover on July 26.
Following the coup, the ECOWAS imposed a battery of sanctions on the francophone nation to compel the army leaders to reinstate the ousted president.
But the coup plotters ignored a one-week ultimatum to restore democracy issued by ECOWAS and likewise refused to meet with a delegation led by former Nigerian army Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, final week Thursday.
On Monday, the junta equally denied the appearing United States Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, entry to the coup chief and Bazoum.
Also, plans by a joint UN/AU/ECOWAS delegation to go to Niamey on Tuesday had been aborted after the coup leaders mentioned they had been unavailable to meet with the mission.
On Tuesday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, introduced that extra sanctions had been imposed on the people and entities relating with the Niger army junta.
The new sanctions imposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria will forestall Nigerien banks from finishing up monetary transactions with their Nigerian counterparts.
The restriction additionally utilized to the coup plotters and their collaborators.
In response to the deliberate army intervention authorised by the sub-regional physique, the Niger army leaders threatened to kill Bazoum ought to the ECOWAS try any army operation to restore democracy within the francophone nation.
However, giving an replace on the ECOWAS decision on Friday, dependable army sources mentioned the Nigerian army authorities had began activating the required levers to give full expression to the resolutions of the West African leaders.
A supply famous that the Defence Headquarters would coordinate the deployment of troops and gear for the operation.
‘’No deployment has been made for now, however the build-up is ongoing. Services are to ahead necessities such because the required variety of males, gear in addition to funds that will be wanted to mobilise troops to Niger. The DHQ will coordinate the deployment of troops for the operation in Niger,” the supply acknowledged.
When requested in regards to the complete variety of troops that will be deployed, one other supply acknowledged, “Military deployments are shrouded in secrecy, but it depends on how many men would be contributed by all members of ECOWAS. The total force should be at least 10 times more than that of the enemy.”
However, the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, assured Nigerians that the participation of the nation within the army operation in Niger wouldn’t have an effect on the continued war in opposition to insecurity within the nation.
His response adopted considerations by safety consultants that army involvement in Niger may influence the continued operations in opposition to legal parts throughout the nation.
Asked if the continued operation in opposition to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network, Boko Haram terrorists and bandits wouldn’t endure setbacks with the deliberate deployment of troops to Niger, Gusau mentioned, “I want to assure you that it will not in any way.”
The DHQ spokesman declined to communicate on the preparations for the deliberate army intervention in Niger.
ECOWAS parliamentarians divided
Meanwhile, members of the ECOWAS Parliament had been cut up over the actions that needs to be taken to tackle the Niger coup.
Twenty-two parliamentarians took half in a digital extraordinary assembly on Saturday to talk about the political disaster in Niger Republic.
While among the parliamentarians spoke in assist of dialogue and diplomacy, others referred to as for actions that will stem the rise in army overthrow of democratic governments within the area.
Those opposed to army intervention defined that it might trigger the plenty untold hardship.
The First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Idris Wase, accused the sub-regional army chiefs of getting financial motives for his or her eagerness to intervene in Niger.
Wase acknowledged, “We needs to be cautious not to begin what we are able to’t end. When the Russia-Ukraine war began, folks thought it was to be a pointy war. A yr after, the war lingers with the attendant financial squander and wanton destruction of lives and property.
“The sub-regional army chiefs know what they stand to profit economically. That’s why they’re keen to militarily intervene in Niger. Most of them are corrupt.
“Any war on Niger will have adverse effects on 60 per cent of Nigeria, especially northern Nigeria.”
Corroborating Wase, a member of the Nigerian delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, Ali Ndume, slammed President Tinubu for not searching for the approval of the National Assembly earlier than closing the Nigerian-Niger border and slicing off electrical energy provide to the francophone nation.
Ndume mentioned, “We are the representatives of the folks. Whatever motion that have to be taken needs to be depending on what our folks need.
“The ECOWAS Chairman, President Tinubu, wrote to the Nigerian Senate on the deliberate army intervention in Niger and the Red Chamber vehemently opposed using drive. Members as a substitute favor that dialogue needs to be adopted in resolving the deadlock.
“President Tinubu has no right to close the Niger-Nigeria border and cut off electricity without the approval of the Nigerian National Assembly. It is not the juntas that are suffering the sanctions, but innocent people.”
Ali Djibo from Niger Republic mentioned no fewer than 9,000 faculties had been shut, including that there was nowhere on the earth the place army motion had turned out to be the best choice.
Djibo defined, “War will solely compound the financial woes the peoples of the sub-region are already going by.
“If a coup occurs in Nigeria or Cote d’Ivoire tomorrow, the place is ECOWAS going to mobilise troops to struggle the Nigerian or Ivorian army? How many borders are we going to shut?
“We must also bear in mind that if we’re applying the ECOWAS treaty, it should be applicable to all.”
However, some parliamentarians believed that dialogue and diplomacy had not been ready to tame the unfold of the scourge of army intervention in West Africa.
Linda Ikpeazu, who supported army intervention, famous that as a result of there have been no penalties up to now, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, led to the Niger Republic scenario.
Ikpeazu mentioned the regional physique had to act because it couldn’t proceed to encourage folks to get away with wrongdoing.
She, nevertheless, mentioned she was not in assist of sanctions because the extraordinary folks would bear the brunt.
She mentioned, “How efficient was the method ECOWAS adopted in Guinea Conakry, Mali and Burkina Faso? The resolution that ECOWAS ought to absorb resolving the Niger political imbroglio will rely on how efficient the diplomacy adopted within the nations already beneath the army authorities was.
“If that is not done, it means, we are tactically giving approval for coups, knowing that the sub-regional body, ECOWAS, cannot do anything punitive.”
Adebayo Balogun famous that what ECOWAS proposed was not a full-scale war, however a army motion in opposition to the junta.
“ECOWAS heads are not talking about declaring war on Niger, but simply intervening to dislodge the coup plotters from power because Niger is a signatory to the ECOWAS revised protocol on non-military intervention,” he famous.
Bashir Dawodu acknowledged that whereas dialogue was being pursued, the army choice needs to be left open.
He additionally reminded these banking on the assist of Russia to defend the junta that the European nation alone couldn’t defend them.
Doctor sees Bazoum, household
President Bazoum was seen by his physician, Saturday. It was learnt that the doctor additionally introduced meals for the ousted chief, his spouse and son, who’re being held with him.
A member of his entourage advised AFP, “The president had a go to by his physician immediately.
“He’s fine, given the situation.”
Concerns have been raised over the well being and detention situations of Bazoum, his spouse and 20-year-old son because the army seized energy and took them captive on July 26.
The European Union and the African Union have joined others in sounding the alarm for Bazoum.
UN rights chief, Volker Turk, mentioned Bazoum’s reported detention situations “could amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, in violation of international human rights law.”
Top US diplomat, Antony Blinken, mentioned he was “dismayed” by the army’s refusal to launch Bazoum’s household as a “demonstration of goodwill.”
Protest rocks Kano
Some Kano residents, on Saturday, staged a peaceable protest in opposition to the deliberate army motion in Niger Republic.
The spokesman for the protesters, who declined to reveal his identification, mentioned they launched into the protest to register their displeasure in opposition to any army motion in Niger Republic.
The protesters chanted, “Nigeriens are our brothers, in addition to our relations.
“Niger is ours, we don’t want war; war against Niger is injustice, a plot by the Western forces.”
They additionally waved Nigeria and Niger flags and displayed placards with anti-war catchphrases.
The protesters later dispersed on the busy Ibrahim Taiwo Road within the Kano metropolis.
When contacted for his response, the state police command spokesman, SP Abdullahi Haruna, promised to get again to one in all our correspondents after contacting the Divisional Police Officer within the space for particulars, however he had but to revert as of the time of submitting this report.
Lawyers in opposition to war
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, mentioned Tinubu couldn’t deploy Nigerian troops to Niger with out the approval of the National Assembly.
He acknowledged that earlier than the President may declare war or use Nigerian troops for exterior engagement, he wanted the total and categorical approval of the Senate.
Ozekhome careworn that it might be unconstitutional to do in any other case, including that taking that plan of action with out Senate approval could be handled as a legal offence.
He mentioned in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, “Even ECOWAS as a sub-regional group can’t merely ignore the United States constitution to deploy troops. It is nothing in need of a war of aggression that may lead to the demise and destruction of individuals, which is like genocide.
“All these are worldwide crimes that may be punished on the International Criminal Court of Justice at The Hague. I’m a counsel on the ICC and I do know that these are war crimes.
“One cannot simply leave his/her country to go and wage a war and attack another country because that country is weaker. Otherwise, all these smaller countries like Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, The Gambia and the rest will not have a place to live in the world.”
Ozekhome additionally described Niger as a sovereign nation, including that solely it may decide its personal agenda and issues.
“Who is helping Nigeria to decide our matter when people are dying every day and some are scavenging for food in septic tanks and gutters? Who helped us at the height of Boko Haram and armed banditry? Which country formed an alliance and attacked us as a country?” he queried.
Another lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), mentioned the President couldn’t deploy Nigerian troops to be a part of ECOWAS troops except it was a “matter of necessity or utmost public interest.”
He mentioned, “He (Tinubu) can’t go to war with out the categorical nod of the National Assembly in writing. If he does it, it’s an impeachable offence. Apart from being an impeachable offence, it’s even legal. He dares not achieve this. He can’t go behind the National Assembly to do something.
“If any army man obeys him, he’s doing so at his personal peril. Diplomacy needs to be pursued to the final. Like the actual politician that he’s, Tinubu has chosen to stroll on banana peels. I’ve sensed that an exterior drive is prompting him to go to war. If Niger is to struggle again, who will it struggle; the exterior drive of Nigeria?
“This will attract other superpowers. Nigeria should not involve our troops. We don’t deserve this calamity that is about to befall us if we invade Niger. There is a boundary connection, cultural bond and trade agreements between Niger and Nigeria.”
Another senior lawyer, Mr Ahmed Raji (SAN), mentioned he didn’t assume Tinubu had mentioned the nation was going to war.
“What the President said was that dialogue continues,” Raji mentioned in an interview with Sunday PUNCH.
He added that ECOWAS as a physique had mentioned that there needs to be a standby army drive in opposition to the junta.
Raji acknowledged, “The hope of all people is that the negotiations will work and the matter shall be resolved. I don’t assume Tinubu has mentioned he’s going to deploy the Nigerian army with out the approval of the Senate. He has not mentioned so.
“He had despatched emissaries there. He obtained in viewers numerous peacemakers, who’ve referred to as for dialogue and for them to step in to see what they’ll do to obtain peace.
“His taking a request to the National Assembly is a demonstration that he does not want to act contrary to what the Nigerian law says. For that, he has to be commended.”
Security consultants communicate
However, a safety professional, Oladele Fajana, mentioned Nigeria couldn’t afford to go to war with Niger due to the inner safety challenges confronting the nation.
He mentioned, “Nigeria will not be in a greater place to deploy troops for army intervention in Niger. Doing such is a misplaced precedence due to the inner safety challenges we’re confronted with.
“With a full house, we have been unable to completely take out the non-state actors disturbing the peace of the country, so you think when we take some (troops) out and take them to Niger; the criminals will not take advantage of this?”
Speaking in an analogous vein, a safety analyst, Jackson Ojo, additionally opposed the proposed army motion in opposition to the Niger junta.
He famous, “Our home is on hearth and we wish to go and quench the smoke popping out of one other particular person’s home! That is what we’re doing. We are a rustic at war already with the reported killings in all components of the nation.
“We are the big brother in ECOWAS; we will provide more money, troops and equipment. Already, our military has been overwhelmed. If you add this to their task, the country may collapse.”
