Niger: Coup plotters explain Why Abdulsalami’s Delegation was Shunned

According to the Daily Trust, the military authorities of Niger, under the leadership of General Abdourahmane Tchiani, have explained why they disregarded the delegation that General Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd), the former military head of state of Nigeria, brought in their attempts to reinstate the overthrown administration.

To resolve the conflict in Niger through negotiation, President Bola Tinubu dispatched a powerful team that comprised Abubakar and Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto. However, the delegation returned to Nigeria without attracting the junta’s attention.

The intervention team from Nigeria, which includes eminent Islamic scholars, met the coup leaders over the weekend to ease the political issue while ECOWAS keeps looking for long-term resolutions.

The junta said that the coup leaders were upset when the delegation headed by Abubakar arrived at the meeting with the Islamic Ulammas, who were represented by Sheik Bala Lau.

This information was revealed in a statement released by the Intervention Team on Sunday and signed by Lau.

The coup leaders were upset that the ECOWAS authorities hadn’t heard their version of the story before giving them a mandate to resign, according to General Tchiani, who warmly welcomed the clerics.

Tchiani stated that he would allow both parties to consider diplomacy and peace to resolve the issue during the lengthy discussion that took place in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

He asserted that the coup was well-intentioned and that it was carried out to thwart an impending threat that would have affected both Nigeria and the Niger Republic.

He also expressed regret for failing to provide President Tinubu’s staff with the proper attention while they were furious about the ECOWAS ultimatum.

In response to stories in some media outlets, another member of the intervention group and Chief Missioner of the Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, Sheik Ahmad Abdulrahman, said they were welcomed by General Tchiani and the two groups had productive conversations.

“We will now return home and inform President Tinubu of our conversation and insist that a military conflict is not a ble option for settling the issue.

“We know that war is an evil storm that won’t do any good and that peaceful resolution should prevail,” Abdulrahman stated.

Temmyabbe (
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