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Coups, terrorism: We must act now or were doomed – ECOWAS
“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community,” were the words with which the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), moved on Tuesday to rouse members against the twin menaces of insecurity and anti-democratic forces.
Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, who made the announcement on Tuesday during the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja, pointed to recent developments in the region to demand immediate action.
Stating that the developments underline the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community, Touray, told the ministers, diplomats and senior officials, that the situation was dire.
Regretting that member nations wer currently facing an average rating of “high risk,” based on country-by-country analyses contained in documents, he said: “As you would have seen in the memoranda before you, the country-by-country analyses of our member states show different risk levels across our community, from high to medium, with an average of high risk, thereby demanding immediate and concerted action.
“The risk factors are the persistence of military interventions (Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Benin just days ago); non-compliance with transition norms in Guinea, where we face a military leader turning civilian; growing erosion of electoral inclusivity across multiple states; expanding influence of terrorists, armed groups and criminal networks; and increasing geopolitical pressures affecting member states’ diplomacy and cohesion.
Also regretting that the conduct of elections had become a major trigger of instability to the ugly situation, he cited recent attempted coups and ongoing discussions with the Alliance of Sahel States, stressing the urgent need for a coordinated regional response to terrorism and cross-border criminal activity.
“Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency, he said and called for more frequent meetings of the Mediation and Security Council and for the organisation to “pool our resources to confront the threats of terrorism and banditry, which operate without respect for territorial boundaries.”
Outlining priority areas requiring continuous ministerial oversight, including the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, managing political transitions, addressing rising political exclusion, and safeguarding regional unity amid external pressures, he also drew attention to worsening humanitarian conditions in West Africa, referencing recent UNHCR data. He said that “as of October 2025, approximately 7.6 million individuals are forcibly displaced across the region,” including more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons.
Citing the data, reflecting that the largest displaced populations were in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, while Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo host the highest numbers of asylum seekers, he said: “We must therefore take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend.”
“Let me assure our community citizens that we will not rest on our oars. We will continue to work harder to promote a peaceful, stable and stronger region for the overall benefit of Community citizens. Member states must uphold constitutional norms and maintain unity: “Let us all remain committed to preserving regional unity, advancing peace and upholding the Community’s Constitutional Convergence Principles. May I extend a warm welcome to the new Ministers of Defence of Nigeria, Rtd. General Christopher Musa, and Foreign Affairs of Cabo Verde, José Luis Livramento, who are joining today for the first time,” he said.
Timothy Kabba, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Ministers, who called for decisive action to protect democratic governance amid worsening political instability, pointed to the fragile state of democracy in sub-region.
Citing the political crises in Guinea-Bissau and Benin, he added: “The recent coup in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup in the Benin Republic are sobering reminders of the fragility of our democratic gains.”
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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