9th August, 2023
Former emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has met with the coup leaders in Niger Republic, on the heels of the rebuff by the junta of representatives of African Union (AU), Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and a top US diplomat.
Footages of Sanusi, whose Tijjaniya sect has a large following in Niger, went into circulation on Wednesday.
It was not clear whether Sanusi was representing Nigeria’s leader, President Tinubu, via a backdoor channel.
Sanusi is the Khalifa of the sect in Nigeria, which has a large following in Niger, Daily Trust reports.
Sanusi met the Junta leaders in company of the Sultan of Damagaran, who leads the third largest city in Niger.
Sources told Daily Trust that Sanusi went there to open the door for negotiation with the junta.
One of the sources said, “His Highness took the trip in his personal capacity but with the knowledge of President Bola Tinubu following his concerns about the impasse and the likely consequences it is already having on Nigeria/Niger relations and the citizens of the two countries.”
The meeting comes a day before the gathering of ECOWAS leaders in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, had scheduled a meeting for Thursday after the 7-day ultimatum that the regional bloc issued for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum elapsed.
ECOWAS had slammed sanctions on Niger and threatened possible military option, a move that was widely rejected, especially in Nigeria.