Nigeria on Friday reiterated its calls for the release of Niger’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained in the West African nation with his wife since being overthrown in a military coup in 2023.
Bazoum, who had been in office for just two years, was ousted on July 26, 2023 by the head of his presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tiani. The coup was justified by accusations that Bazoum had failed to protect Niger from jihadist attacks.
Since the coup, Bazoum and his wife, Hadiza, have been held in strict detention at the presidential palace in Niamey.
“We want him out. We feel he has committed no offence,” Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris told France 24. “He was a product of democracy. If you want to remove him, it should be done democratically.”
Idris, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), affirmed that Nigeria would continue to press for Bazoum’s release. “Certainly, no member of ECOWAS is happy to see Bazoum ousted by military figures,” he added.
In February, the United Nations described the couple’s detention as “arbitrary” and called for their immediate release. Bazoum’s lawyers revealed earlier this year that the couple had had no contact with the outside world, including family, friends, or lawyers, after Bazoum’s phone was confiscated in October 2023.
Last week, Niger’s military junta announced the release of around 50 people, including former ministers from Bazoum’s government, a move it said was in line with the recommendations from a “national conference” held in February.
Since taking power, Niger’s military rulers have severed ties with France and expelled both French and American soldiers who had been engaged in the fight against jihadists. The junta has also withdrawn from ECOWAS and strengthened its ties with neighbouring military-led states, Burkina Faso and Mali. The three countries have since formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and bolstered their relationship with Russia.
