Niger Junta: We’ll Prosecute Bazoum for High Treason

•Alleges exchanges with foreign leaders, others 

•It’s a provocative step to take, ECOWAS warns

Kingsley Nwezeh and Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Niger’s military junta, yesterday, said it would prosecute ousted President Mohammed Bazoum for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations.

But the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the plan to charge Basoum with treason constituted another provocation.

The General Abdulrahmane Tchiani-led military government had, weekend, agreed to dialogue with ECOWAS, which had earlier activated a standby force to restore constitutional order in that country.

The junta also apologised to ECOWAS Chairman and Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, over its refusal to receive diplomatic delegations from the regional bloc.

It, however, agreed to dialogue with ECOWAS after talks on Sunday with Islamic clerics.

Junta spokesperson, Col. Amadou Abdramane, said, in a statement read out on state TV late on Sunday, that the military authorities had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger”.

Abdramane also said there was a misinformation campaign against the junta to try to “derail any negotiated solution to the crisis in order to justify military intervention in the name of ECOWAS”.

African Union (AU), European Union (EU), United States, and the United Nations (UN) had all expressed worry about the conditions under which Bazoum was kept.

Bazoum’s political party said his family had no access to running water, fresh food or doctors, and Bazoum told Human Rights Watch that his son needed to see a doctor because of a serious heart condition.

But the military administration said on Sunday that Bazoum was regularly seeing his doctor and that the last visit was on August 12.

However, in a statement, ECOWAS warned that the pronouncement by the junta contradicted the reported willingness of the military authorities to restore constitutional order.

The statement said, “ECOWAS has learnt with stupefaction attempts to bring charges of high treason against H.E. Mohamed BAZOUM, President of the Republic of Niger.

“ECOWAS condemns this move, as it represents yet another form of provocation and contradicts the reported willingness of the military authorities in the Republic of Niger to restore constitutional order through peaceful means.”

The statement said Basoum remained the democratically elected President of the Republic of Niger recognised by ECOWAS and the international community.

“ECOWAS condemns his illegal detention and calls for his immediate release,” the statement added.