Many of them claimed that they preferred to sell their wares to the countries because they had stronger currencies compared to the naira.

This, several experts have said, may lead to hoarding and an artificial grain scarcity and can cause the price of the goods to further head north, thereby leading to a food crisis if nothing is done about it.

This is coming at a time when the country is battling severe hunger, as the prices of staples have increased by over 300 per cent.

The country is also witnessing the highest inflation in 28 years, with the food inflation rate in January hitting 35.41 per cent.

Nigeria’s annual inflation rate rose to 29.90 per cent in the same month from 28.92 per cent in December 2023, according to official figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

For instance, a bag of long grain rice now sells for almost N80,000 as against N45,000, which it sold for in December 2023. A crate of eggs now sells for almost N5,000; in December, it sold for N2,700.

The three countries, which are currently under military rule, said they ceased to be members of ECOWAS as the regional body had allegedly “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.”

But the ECOWAS Commission, in a swift reaction, said it was not aware of the withdrawal of the three countries, adding that “Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali remain important members of the Community and the Authority.”

In a joint statement on Sunday “done in Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niamey” by their military leaders, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso), Col. Assimi Goita (Mali), and Brig. Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani (Niger Republic), the three countries announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS.

They claimed that ECOWAS had become a threat to its member states.

“Eager to achieve integration between the states of the sub-region and driven by the ideals of brotherhood, solidarity, mutual aid, peace and development, their Excellencies General Aboubacar Sangoulé Lamizana, General Moussa Traoré and Lieutenant Colonel Seyni Kountchė, respectively Heads of State of Upper Volta (current Burkina Faso), Mali and Niger, created with12 of their peers, on May 28, 1975, in Lagos, the Economic Community of West African States.

“After 49 years of existence, the valiant people of Burkina, Mali and Niger note with much regret, bitterness and great disappointment that their organisation has moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.

“Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure,” the statement read.

The joint statement accused ECOWAS of failing to assist the three countries in fighting “existential” threats like terrorism — the common reason cited by their militaries for deposing their democratically elected governments.

“Indeed, the organisation has not provided assistance to our states in the context of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these states decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its own texts; all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence imposed by instrumentalised and remote-controlled terrorist hordes,” they said.

They noted that their membership withdrawal was with immediate effect.

“Faced with this continuing situation, Their Excellencies, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Colonel Assimi Goita and Brigadier General Abdourahamane Tiani, respectively Heads of State of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, taking all their responsibilities in the face of history and responding to the expectations, concerns and aspirations of their populations, decide in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States,” it added.

But responding in a communique released in Abuja on Sunday, the ECOWAS Commission said it had yet to receive a direct formal notification about Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger’s withdrawal from the West Africa regional bloc.

“The attention of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States has been drawn to a statement broadcast on the National Televisions of Mali and Niger announcing the decision of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS.

The ECOWAS Commission is yet to receive any direct formal notification from the three member states about their intention to withdraw from the community.

“The ECOWAS Commission, as directed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government, has been working assiduously with these countries for the restoration of constitutional order.

“Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali remain important members of the Community and the Authority remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse.

The ECOWAS Commission remains seized with the development and shall make further pronouncements as the situation evolves,” the communique read.

Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, the regimes have had tense ties with ECOWAS since coups took place in Niger last July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

All three were suspended from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.

ECOWAS had imposed economic sanctions on Niger in July 2023, following a military coup which ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The sanctions include a ban on travel, border closure and a freeze on assets belonging to the government and its supporters.

The prime minister appointed by Niger’s military regime on Thursday blasted ECOWAS for “bad faith” after the bloc largely shunned a planned meeting in Niamey.

Sunday’s announcement was the latest twist in a series of events that had deepened political tension in West Africa since it experienced its latest of a string of coups — in Niger — last year. It also comes as the three nations have formed a security alliance after severing military ties with France and other European nations and turning to Russia for support.

Meanwhile, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Edward Asante, on Sunday, called on justices and other court officials to strive for the unity of member countries.

He encouraged them to avoid conflicts and any behaviour that could harm the court’s ability to fulfill its assigned mandate.

He spoke at the dinner and award ceremony held on Saturday to mark the commencement of activities for the new year in Abuja.

Asante said, “Let us work together as a family so that we can achieve everything we want to achieve for our communities. We should bear in mind that we are not working for ourselves but for our communities. We have to be more committed and dedicated. We should be able to do other tasks assigned to us. To benefit the entire subregion and especially the indigent citizens of our community. I will also urge us to foster unity. Which is the most important thing for our court. We need to work together as one family. Bickering among each other will not help us to achieve the mandates of the court.”

Asante also called on court staff to prepare for upcoming cost-cutting measures to be implemented throughout the year.

This, he said was a result of the dwindling revenue of the court.

He said,  “The community we work for is in serious financial crisis.  Community levy is dwindling and we have to bear in mind that missions are going to reduce. Today you might be selected for a mission, and be very important for a particular mission the next time you may not be.

“Everybody should brace themselves up for it. It is not about favoritism but the quality of work and relevance to particular programmes. We did very well last year and we should pat ourselves on the back and look up to a better year this year. ‘’

The court was founded in 2001 to uphold and apply principles of equity in interpreting and applying the provisions of the Revised Treaty, along with other legal instruments adopted by member countries.

The court is located in the Federal Capital Territory,  Abuja.

“We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo,” the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

“We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger here where such institutions have been set up,” he said.

An undercover journalist with Daily Nigeria newspaper had detailed how he acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic under two months and in fact, deployed for the National Youth Service Corps.

The Federal Government had immediately suspended accreditation of certificates from the two francophone West African nations and launched a probe which the minister said should submit its report in three months.

Mamman said students who patronise such institutions were not victims but criminals.

“I have no sympathy for such people. Instead, they are part of the criminal chain that should be arrested,” the minister said on Wednesday.

He added that security agents would go after those with fake certificates from foreign countries already using them to secure opportunities in Nigeria.

On the issue of student loan, the minister said, “The President has given his word that it will be operational from this quarter and the committee is working very hard to ensure that the president’s word is implemented.

The commission said it was time people are punished for fake news.

A caller, who said he was having challenges registering as a voter in Mushin, Lagos, told Wazobia 95.1FM on Wednesday night the INEC had 21 registration centres in Niger Republic.

But, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief press secretary to the INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu dismissed the allegation as fake news.

According to him, “The Commission has 176, 846 polling units across the country and none outside Nigeria. I think it is high time we promulgated a law in this country to hold anybody spreading fake news accountable. Freedom of speech should not be a license for reckless statements.”

The Minister said ”the strides achieved in that sector made the Government in the Niger Republic dispatch a delegation to Kano on a study tour of its skills acquisition programmes for youths.

Moctar made the remark on Tuesday when he paid a visit to Governor Ganduje at the Kano Government House.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Hassan Musa Fagge, said the Minister added that the youths empowerment initiative of the Kano State Government is worthy of emulation because of its impact on the lives of Kano people.

Responding, Ganduje, represented by his Deputy, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, said realising that the youths are the backbone of development informed the decision of the State Government to give them priority in its programmes.

“Empowering the youths is very essential to us because it prevents them from idleness, drug abuse and committing crimes,” he said.

While assuring the delegation from the Niger Republic of continued support and cooperation, the Governor, however, described their visit to the youth development facilities in the State as proof of the existing ties between Niger and Nigeria, particularly with Kano State.

FCT Minister, Muhammed Bello, alongside Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, announced this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the road.

Bello said, “Earlier today, the first phase of the on-going Outer Southern Expressway in Abuja was named the ‘Mahamadou Issoufou Expressway’ in honour of the President of the Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou. The road was named after the Nigerien President by President Muhammadu Buhari as a mark of deep appreciation for the maintenance of a brotherly relationship between Nigeria and the Republic of Niger and in recognition of the Nigerien President’s significant role in the promotion of peace in Africa.”

Acknowledging the honour in his name, the Nigerien President tweeted, “My brother and friend, @MBuhari, did me the honour to call an Abuja expressway ‘Mahamadou Issoufou Expressway’. This testifies, beyond our personal relations, to the excellent relations that exist between #Nigeria and Niger. His caring touches me. I thank him very much.”

Abdulrashid Maina, who was declared wanted by a court of competent jurisdiction, was arrested last night, 30th November 2020 through the collaborative efforts of the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL NCB, Abuja and their Nigerien counterpart.

A statement released by the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force NPF, Frank Mba, says Maina is currently in a detention facility in the Niger Republic awaiting the completion of the extradition processes.

According to Daily Post, the operatives of Nigeria Intelligence Service and anti-graft agents, the Economic And Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) arrested Mr Maina in Niger Republic.

Maina – who is being prosecuted on 12 counts of money laundering to the tune of N2bn by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission – was tracked down owing to the synergy between Nigeria Intelligence Team and their counterpart in Niger Republic.

Maina’s arrest is coming days after Senator Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno South, Borno State who stood surety for Mr Maina, was released from Abuja correctional facility (Prison) over his failure to produce him before Federal High Court which was presided by Justice Akong Abang.

According to Guardian, data obtained from the African Refiners & Distributors Association (ARA) revealed that strong refinery performance in the neighbouring Niger Republic meets local fuel demand, and the excess production is exported to Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso.

As Nigeria struggles to get its refineries working and to attract foreign investment to the downstream sector of the oil industry, Niger has built a single 20,000-barrel per day refinery with a configuration for the local market. The facility is currently turning out liquefied petroleum gas, 7 per cent; gasoline, 32 per cent; and diesel, 61 per cent, to enable it to optimise stranded crude supply.

Niger built its refineries in less than three years, pushing utilisation from zero to about 90 per cent in 2019.