The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has warned that any military action against the Republic of Niger will spread to other countries in West African.
TheHintsNews reports that President Bola Tinubu Friday notified the National Assembly about the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) proposed military action against the Nigerien military junta who recently seized power.
Also, the Northern Senators Forum in a statement issued Friday kicked against the option of war and called for political and diplomatic means to restore democratic government in that country.
However, the CNG in a statement issued Saturday by its Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, cautioned that a war in Niger will only compound the security and humanitarian situations in the West African sub-region.
The group cautioned President Tinubu that acceding to such a dangerous, ill-advised, self-destructive option of leading a war in Niger Republic has the potential to consume not only him but also Nigeria and the ECOWAS he heads.
If further called on the Nigerian Senate, the Council of State and Nigerian Governors Forum to guide the President properly against leading a military intervention in Niger and to the imperative of restoring electricity supply to it.
The northern group explained that a sinister international power game is at play in Niger with Western powers, on one hand, Russia and China, on another hand, and some other African countries playing behind the scene.
It pointed out that with developments in other Sahel countries that are part of a global power chess game, any military intervention in Niger would be resisted and considered as an invasion by Russia/China, Mali and Burkina Faso, which could get very messy and protracted.
The group stressed that in Nigeria, the tide of public opinion was overwhelmingly against any form of Nigeria-led military aggression to restore civilian rule in Niger.
It noted that Nigeria would be expected to expend billions to execute the war when the country was still grappling with its harsh economic realities.
It added: “We join other Nigerians particularly the Northern Senators Forum in rejecting the option of war and call instead for political and diplomatic means to restore democratic government in that country.”
The northern group called on the federal government not to rush into war without exhausting every economic and diplomatic means to pressure the junta in Niger to return power to the democratically elected government.
It further cautioned President Tinubu that in consideration of the country’s national interest, a military intervention in Niger must be an absolutely last option for Nigeria, given Nigeria’s present domestic fragility.
It added: “That a war in Niger will engulf the entire West African subregion and bring about mass killings and suffering of innocent people.
“That about seven northern Nigerian states that share border with Niger Republic namely Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno will be negatively affected.
“That at the moment, the new military junta in Niger Republic enjoys enormous goodwill among the vast majority of the citizens of the country with demonstrations in rural and urban Niger.”