NEWS UPDATE: LAWYERS ASK ECOWAS TO DEMAND RELEASE OF OUSTED NIGER LEADER

Read Time:1 Minute, 24 Second

Agency Report

On the day of the union’s summit, the attorneys for the imprisoned president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, made a demand for his release to the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

After a coup last July, military authorities took control of Niger. Bazoum was overthrown.

He and his spouse have been imprisoned in the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital of Niger, ever since.Bazoum’s release and reinstatement were mandated by the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in December.

“It is the responsibility of ECOWAS and its member states to ensure that the court’s decisions are effectively applied and that President Bazoum and his wife are released,” Mohamed Seydou Diagne, coordinator of the group of lawyers, said in a statement to AFP.

“The court ordered the military authorities to release them immediately and to restore to power President Bazoum, whose mandate had been democratically entrusted to him,” the statement said.

According to the lawyers, Bazoum has not been brought before a judge and has not received any visitors — except his doctor — since October 19.

In early January, Bazoum’s son, Salem, was released from prison and immediately transferred to Togo — where he is currently.

Salem is still accused of “plotting to jeopardise the authority or the security of the state.”

On February 13, the leader of Niger’s military, Abdourahamane Tiani, said in a national television interview that the release of Bazoum was “not on the agenda”.

Leaders at the ECOWAS summit in Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday will examine the political and security situation in the region.

The coup last July prompted ECOWAS to impose tough sanctions and suspend trade with Niger.

AFP