Nigeria Opens Land, Air Borders with Republic of Niger, Lifts other Sanctions

Segun Atanda/

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 the country with immediate effect.

According to President Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the directive complies with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja.

ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

The President has directed that the following sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger be lifted immediately:

(1) 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.

(2) Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between Nigeria and Niger, as well as a freeze of all service transactions, including utility services and electricity to the Niger Republic.

(3) Freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger, state enterprises, and parastatals in commercial banks.

(4) Suspension of Niger from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID and BOAD.

(5) Travel bans on government officials and their family members.

Tinubu has also lifted financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea.