The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has warned that it will amount to a treasonable offense to deploy Nigerian troops to the Niger Republic without the approval of the Nigerian Senate.

The MBF also cautioned that any deployment of Nigerian troops at this particular time would further squeeze the Nigerian economy and worsen the hardship being faced by Nigeria.

The National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu who made this known while reacting to the supposed order by ECOWAS for the deployment of troops to oust the military junta in Niger Republic cautioned that Nigeria should not be dragged into any form of proxy war in the neighboring country.

Hear him: “To me, the entire thing playing out as regards the Niger Republic is like a double standard.

“Many things have happened in ECOWAS including those that have happened that were unconstitutional based on extant national laws. For instance today the constitution of our country is being challenged by the reason of the last election we had.

Nobody came in to say that the provisions of the Constitution have to be adhered to. You cannot just swear in somebody when certain conditions are not met. That was not done.

“Again there are countries in West Africa where the military took over governance and they the military at still in government and ECOWAS did not say anything.

Why is the issue of Niger being given so much attention, why the double standards?
“So there is something fishy in this whole thing. And as a country, more than 50 percent of the people of Niger are Hausas. And they have their kith and kin in Nigeria.