Nigerian president orders reopening of border with Niger
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday ordered authorities to reopen Nigeria’s land and air borders with Niger with immediate effect.
A statement from the Nigerian presidency also said that President Tinubu had also ordered other sanctions against Niger to be lifted.
The sanctions include a suspension of all commercial and financial and service transactions between Nigeria and Niger, and a freeze of assets of Niger in ECOWAS central banks and commercial banks.
Other restrictions to be lifted were travel bans on Nigerien government officials and their family members, as well as Niger’s suspension from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD).
“This directive is in compliance with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja,” the statement read in part.
The statement further added that President Tinubu had also approved the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against Guinea.
The sanctions had been imposed on Niger and Guinea by West African regional bloc ECOWAS, as well as Burkina Faso and Mali, following military takeovers in the respective nations.
