hours after the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs of Nigeria (NSCIA) declared its opposition to the use of sanctions and military deployment in Niger, some prominent Islamic scholars met with President Bola Tinubu to request his permission to mediate the crisis.
Clerics led by Jama’a tul Izalatil Bid’ah wa Iqamatis Sunnah national leader Sheikh Bala Lau advised the Nigerian leader against the use of force in Niger.
“We want to find a lasting solution. We want peace and harmony to reign not only in Nigeria, but also in the sub-Saharan region and throughout the world. So all Ulama advised Mr. President that we want peace and reconciliation,” Lau told reporters after meeting with the Nigerian leader.
He said that President Tinubu “accepted” his offer to intervene in the crisis.
ECOWAS special envoys, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar III, in a meeting with representatives of the Niger military junta. The junta is represented at the meeting by General Barmou and other senior officers. [PHOTO CREDIT: @Abdulfagge]Also speaking, the spiritual leader of the Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdurrahaman Ahmad, said that Mr. Tinubu promised that “if we could also talk to the people on the other side, so that they are ready to give concessions, then ECOWAS, that he He is president of is also ready”.
“Apart from that, the president deplored the coup in the Sahel region and, as a democrat, said that he will do everything possible to ensure that there is democracy, justice, freedom and peace in the sub-region.”
Ahmad said the Nigerian leader “has given us the task of mediating also to ensure reconciliation between the warring factions in the Republic of Niger.”
After the meeting, another Islamic scholar and former Nigerian central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, also met with Tinubu.
Newslodge reported how Mr. Sanusi, early on Wednesday, met with the leader of the Niger junta, General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
“I came to brief you on the details of my discussions with the Nigerien leadership,” Sanusi said after the meeting with the president.
“We will continue to do everything possible to bring the two parties together to improve understanding.”
Sanusi said that negotiations to avoid a war in Niger should not be left to governments alone.
“All Nigerians, all Nigerians must get involved to find a solution that works for Africa, a solution that works for Niger that works for Nigeria and a solution that works for humanity,” he said.
Sanusi, the spiritual leader of the Tijaniya Islamic sect in Nigeria, said that although Nigerian officials knew before he left for Niger, the trip was his initiative and he used his “personal contacts.”
Islamic leaders in the spotlight
The majority of Niger’s population are Muslims and have cultural and religious ties to Nigerian Muslims, particularly those from Northern Nigeria.
The Tijaniya sect that Sanusi runs in Nigeria has millions of members in West Africa, including Niger.
The influence of Nigerian Islamic leaders may have played a role in the decision by ECOWAS, led by President Tinubu, to include NSCIA chief and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar, in a three-person delegation to negotiate with the leaders of the coup in niger
However, that delegation, led by former Nigerian military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar, was not allowed to see the leader of the coup, General Tchiani, indicating the complexities in relations between the various layers of society in Niger and Nigeria.
Mr. Tchiani also refused to meet with the US, AU and UN delegations.
When Sanusi met Tchiani on Wednesday, he was accompanied by the Emir of Damagaram in Zinder, in Niger’s Maradi region.
ECOWAS leaders will meet in Abuja on Thursday to review the next course of action after the week-long ultimatum given to Niger’s coup leaders ended on Sunday.
ALSO READ: UPDATED: Lamido Sanusi in Niger, meets with junta leader
The regional bloc has already imposed sanctions on Niger, including freezing assets and closing land and air borders. He has also threatened to use force if the coup leaders refuse to return President Mohamed Bazoum to power and if all diplomatic efforts fail. The various meetings and statements by Nigerian Islamic clerics are to prevent the use of force.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and West Africa’s largest army, is expected to provide large numbers of soldiers if ECOWAS decides to use force in Niger.
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