Coup leaders in Niger Republic have revealed that they will prosecute ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for alleged treason and security risk in the West African country.
The military junta made the disclosure in a statement through its leader Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, who happens to be Bazoum’s head of presidential guard.
On national television late Sunday, Abdramane said the ousted president would be prosecuted “for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”
According to him, there was misinformation campaign against the coupists to “derail any negotiated solution to the crisis in order to justify military intervention in the name of ECOWAS.”
Information Nigeria understands that the reaction is coming on the heels of the meeting between the junta and some Islamic clerics and scholars from Nigeria.
According to the leader of the Nigerian scholars, Sheik Bala Lau, the junta is willing to dialogue and negotiate with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve the political impasse in the landlocked West African nation.
However, the prosecutorial move by the junta against Bazoum is an indication that the meeting may not be yielding the kind of result observers and stakeholders had envisaged.
Recall that ECOWAS imposed sanctions on Niger in response to the coup and has not ruled out using force against the army officers who toppled the democratically elected Bazoum on 26 July.
The regional bloc, last Thursday, approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger as soon as possible.
It, however, added that it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Bazoum, his wife, and adult son have been held at the president’s official Niamey residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over their conditions in detention.
