Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday, called for tight security measures following the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States.
The juntas in the three Sahel countries who have been at loggerheads with ECOWAS over sanctions imposed on them, announced their withdrawal forthwith from the regional bloc in a joint statement on Sunday.
With the withdrawal, many believe Nigeria’s fight against terrorism could be affected considering the country borders Niger Republic up north.
Concerned about the development, former Vice President, Atiku, in a short message posted on X on Sunday, described the situation as a “serious diplomatic meltdown,” saying Nigeria must now double its efforts to protect its security interests.
“Reports about the withdrawal of three countries from our sub-regional body, @ecowas_cedeao, is concerning. It is a matter of serious diplomatic meltdown. We must keep the country’s national security interest, especially the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and others in focus while we appraise the situation,” he said.