Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on Sunday in Abuja called for the immediate release and reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum as the legitimate Head of State and Government of the Republic of Niger.

In a communique after the summit read by the President, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, the leaders demanded full restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger, and condemned the illegal detention of President Bazoum, as well as members of his family and government.

The Summit hosted by President Bola Tinubu, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, also agreed to appoint and dispatch a Special Representative to deliver the demands of the authority, which if not met within one week, they would take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

In response to the coup attempt, the Summit announced immediate sanctions on Niger including the closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger, establishing a no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger, travel bans and assets freezes on the military officials involved in the coup, and suspending all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger.

In his closing remarks to the Summit, President Tinubu thanked fellow leaders, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, the Special Representative of the Secretary -General and Head of the United Nations Office in West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simaõ, for their active engagement and invaluable contributions to the discussions.