ECOWAS Should Attack Niger Republic Without Nigerian Troops If It Must Intervene —Fani-Kayode

Aformer aviation minister and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),  Femi Fani-Kayode has told the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), under the leadership of Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu to attack Niger Republic without Nigerian military forces.

Mr Fani-Kayode said this in a press statement issued on Saturday titled, ‘ECOWAS VERSUS NIGER: WHO IS FOOLING WHO?’

The former minister also stated that the planned military intervention by the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the Niger Republic lacks the support of the Nigerian people and, if carried out, would be a huge error for the region.

The statement reads: “We worked hard, took many bullets and took great risks to put this Government in place and we not only have a big stake in it but we must also ensure that it succeeds.

“Today that truth is that the pending attack on Niger Republic is unpopular at home and, if unleashed, would be a monumental error.

“If ECOWAS must go into Niger in the name of wanting to restore constitutional order so be it but let them do so without any Nigerian troops.

“Let the French and their Franco-phone allies in our sub-region, with American intelligence and logistical support, do the job on their own and leave us out of it.

“It is only if our nation is attacked or our sovereignty violated that we should get into the fray.”

Fani-Kayode advised the ECOWAS leaders to ensure the Niger crisis is resolved via diplomacy.

“Outside of that and until then we should use only diplomatic means to settle the issue and not allow ourselves to be drawn into an unnecessary and bloody regional war the end of which no one knows,” he added.

Meanwhile, West African nations earlier suspended a key military meeting on the crisis in Niger.

The meeting was suspended a day after ECOWAS said it would deploy a standby force in their bid to reinstate the country’s deposed leader.

The meeting of chiefs of staff from the regional bloc countries was scheduled to hold on Saturday in Ghana’s capital, Accra.