The immediate past governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai has warned the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Economic Community for West African States against going resulting in using military might to restore constitutional order in Niger, News About Nigeria reports.
Issuing this warning in a tweet via his official Twitter handle, the ex-governor who had over time kept mum on the ongoing Niger crisis, warned that declaring war against Niger would mean waging war against northern Nigerian states.
According to the former governor, the people of Niger are one and the same as those living in northern Nigeria
“TUESDAY THOUGHT: 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,” the former governor said.
His comment comes as President Bola Tinubu-led ECOWAS are strongly considering the use of force to restore democratic order in Niger. Recall that the Niger junta had proposed that the bloc gives it three years to allow it to transition from military rule to a democratic government. However, ECOWAS rejected the request and directed its standby troop to prepare for a possible invasion of Niger.
The former Kaduna governor is not the first to speak of the impending impact that an invasion of Niger would have on northern Nigerian states. News About Nigeria recalls that former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani warned that Nigeria will suffer heavy consequences if ECOWAS goes ahead with its plans to invade Niger.
Already former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode while warning against the invasion of Niger claimed that the ECOWAS forces were not battle ready to take on Niger and its allied nations.
