Nasir El-Rufai, the ex-Governor of Kaduna State, has advised the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), against pursuing a military intervention in Niger Republic.
This counsel comes after ECOWAS defence chiefs expressed their preparedness to engage a standby force aimed at reinstating democracy in Niger following the removal and detention of President Mohamed Bazoum by military leaders on Thursday.
In a statement via X, El-Rufai said, “As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits – ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our subregion is a war between brothers. Indeed, the people of Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria.
“Let us bend therefore over backwards to avoid this civil war between brothers.”
