Niger's electricity company, Nigelec, has revealed that Nigeria's government has halted electricity supply to its neighboring country, resulting in widespread blackouts in major cities. This disruption comes in the aftermath of a coup led by Niger soldiers on national TV, which saw the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was democratically elected.
The military junta responsible for the coup took drastic measures by dissolving the constitution, suspending all institutions, and shutting down the nation's borders. In response, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), chaired by Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, held an extraordinary session and decided to impose several sanctions on the military junta. These sanctions include freezing all service transactions, including energy deals with financial institutions.
President Tinubu condemned the coup vehemently, stating that ECOWAS would not tolerate any actions against democracy. He assured that the regional union would work diligently to restore peace to Niger and the surrounding region.
Amidst the crisis, three other West African nations—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea—backed the coup leaders in Niger, raising concerns about regional stability. The military junta in Niger urged ECOWAS not to intervene, threatening to consider any such intervention as a "declaration of war."
As the situation unfolds, President Patrice Talon of Benin has been dispatched by the regional bloc to Niger to assess the state of affairs. The new military government in Niger has reopened the country's land borders and airspace, except those with Benin and Nigeria, resulting in lingering tensions with these ECOWAS members.
Regarding the power outage, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) have declined to comment on the matter, leaving questions about the reasons behind Nigeria's decision to cut electricity supply to Niger unanswered.
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