President Bola Tinubu has directed the opening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger and the lifting of other sanctions against that country with immediate effect.
This directive is in compliance with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on Feb. 24 in Abuja.
Recall that, ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
The border was officially closed since August 2023, following a military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.
The Niger–Nigeria border is 1,608 kilometres in length and runs from the tripoint with Benin in the west to the tripoint with Chad in the east.
A statement by presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, said the President directed that the sanctions imposed on the Niger Republic be lifted immediately.
The lifted sanctions included, the closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and Niger Republic, as well as ECOWAS no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger Republic.
