Wearing two hats as a Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr. Mahama Ayariga has disclosed that the Nigerien security apparatus does not have the men to withstand the forces of ECOWAS.
According to Mr. Ayariga, the regional bloc will eventually succeed even with the slightest effort if it intervenes in the Niger coup.
He believes that the Nigerien security forces cannot match up to ECOWAS, and that is why the latter would succeed if it intervened.
“I do not think that the Nigerien security apparatus can withstand the combined efforts of West Africa.
“If they decide to intervene, and they even make in my opinion a minimum effort, I believe they will succeed. The reason is that the Nigerien security apparatus is not united behind the president’s guard unit that is really behind this coup,” he said on August 9.
On July 27, soldiers, primarily from the presidential guard, seized Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, leading to the dissolution of the constitution, suspension of all institutions, and the closure of the nation’s borders. President Mohamed Bazoum remains in the custody of the presidential guard.
Meanwhile, some security analysts and MPs have cautioned ECOWAS to be careful in the handling of the process to restore democracy in Niger.
They condemned the regional bloc’s threat to intervene using the military. He described the move as hasty.
They have cautioned the regional bloc to take into consideration the interests of some superpowers in the crisis so as not to complicate the situation further. The advice thrown at ECOWAS is for the regional bloc to recalibrate its decisions and consult with the various military chiefs stationed in Niger and the Sahel region as a whole on the requirements, cost, and risk involved in intervening militarily.