'What Niger Junta Told Us When We Asked Them Reason They Did Not Release Bazoum' -Abdur-Rahman Ahmad

According to the Punch paper, The National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, who was part of a delegation that visited the Republic of Niger following the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, revealed in an interview with Punch correspondent that the Niger Republic junta has not released the ousted president.

When asked about the ECOWAS directive to release President Mohamed Bazoum unconditionally and why the junta continues to hold him captive, Ahmad explained that the coup leaders cited security reasons for his detention.

He stated, “We asked them, and they said it was for security reasons. Hopefully, when they negotiate, ECOWAS can make that a condition. I believe the Nigerien counterpart will be reasonable enough because in a situation like this, everyone will want to bargain from a position of relative strength, and maybe that will be a bargaining tool for them.”

Furthermore, he emphasized that while he doesn’t have all the answers, he believes in the power of diplomacy and negotiation to prevent conflict. Ahmad recommended that all concerned parties should explore diplomatic solutions to avert war.

Savigny (
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