By Ayo Yusuf
Much against Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu‘s vaunted warning against military coups in the region during his maiden speech as the new chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, soldiers in Niger Republic announced Wednesday that they have overthrown the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.
The soldiers who made the announcement on state television claimed they decided to put an end to the government following Niger’s deteriorating security situation .
The mutineers said all institutions had been suspended and security forces were managing the situation while warning external partners not to interfere.
The announcement came after a day of uncertainty as members of Niger’s presidential guard surrounded the presidential palace and detained President Bazoum. There was no immediate indication of whether the mutiny was supported by other parts of the military and it was unclear where the president was at the time of the announcement or if he had resigned.
In a video announcement, Major Amadou Abdramane claimed this “is as a result of the continuing degradation of the security situation, the bad economic and social governance.” Seated at a table in front of nine other officers, he said aerial and land borders were closed and a curfew was imposed until the situation stabilized.
The group, which is calling itself National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, said it remained committed to its engagements with the international and national community.
Earlier Wednesday, a tweet from the account of Niger’s presidency reported that members of the elite guard unit engaged in an “anti-Republican demonstration” and unsuccessfully tried to obtain support from other security forces. It said Bazoum and his family were doing well but that Niger’s army and national guard “are ready to attack” if those involved in the action did not back down.
