Coup: ECOWAS beats the drum of war - Nasir El-Rufai speaks

Former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday, August 22, cautioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against going to war with coup-hit Niger Republic.

He noted that “Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria”.

El-Rufai added that President Bola Tinubu-led ECOWAS should “avoid this civil war between brothers”.

He made his thoughts known via a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle.

He wrote: “As ECOWAS beats the drums of war, I recall the 1970s rock classic by Dire Straits - ‘Brothers in Arms’, because a war within our subregion is a war between brothers.

“Indeed, the people of Niger Republic are one and the same with those living in Northern Nigeria. Let us bend therefore over backwards to avoid this civil war between brothers.”

El-Rufai is an ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.