Supreme Islamic council opposes military action, sanctions on Niger, says dialogue will work

Our reporter/ The sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the Niger Republic following the coup in the country would not yield positive results, the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said on Wednesday.

ECOWAS, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday resolved to impose additional financial sanctions on individuals and entities believed to be supporting the military junta in the Francophone country.

The sanctions are the latest in the list of strict measures that ECOWAS has imposed to force the military junta in Niger to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

But in a statement on Wednesday, the NSCIA, led by Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, said the sanctions would yield little results.

“It is well known that such kinds of economic sanctions are counter-productive and eventually end in futility,” Salisu Shehu, the NSCIA deputy secretary-general, said.

The NSCIA also stated its opposition to using force to dislodge the military leaders who toppled Bazoum.

The Islamic council acknowledged that the coup leaders were defiant in their stance but called for dialogue in dealing with them.

The Sultan of Sokoto had been part of an ECOWAS delegation to Niger led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state, to negotiate with the country’s military junta but the meeting was unproductive as the junta declined entreaties by the delegation.