· More arrests in Benin
By Sarah NEGEDU
Coup threats, regional stability and affordable air travel were some of the major issues that dominated the 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at the State House, Abuja, on Sunday.
Addressing the sub-regional heads, President Bola Tinubu urged them to close ranks against fresh shocks to democracy, citing the recent coup attempt in the Benin Republic and renewed instability in Guinea-Bissau.
Tinubu pushes for single voice on security, governance
Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said, “The external threats confronting West Africa today demand nothing less than a united front, terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government, transnational organised crime, arms for liberation, cyber insecurity, climate shocks, food insecurity and irregular migration,”
According to the Nigerian president, the moment is an existential test for the bloc, warning that West Africa “is most vulnerable, not when challenged from outside, but when weakened from within.
“We do not share geography by accident. We share it by design, by history and by the enduring logic of kinship. West Africa is not a random assemblage of borders grown by chance. It is a family bound by memory, culture, struggle and aspiration,”
He argued that Nigeria’s position is that persuasion and solidarity, not force, must steer ECOWAS through its current storms.
Reflecting on the governance crisis in the region, Tinubu said, “We have, in recent times, allowed our differences to shake the very foundations of our union.
“We remain persuaded that fraternity, not force, must define the future of our community. Yet history reminds us that ECOWAS can only fulfil its purpose or aspiration when every member state upholds the values of purity, justice and equality within its domestic affairs.
“A community is only as strong as its trust its members repose in one another. Our shared challenge is to ensure that internal divisions do not erode the collective sense we have built over decades.”
Linking the Benin and Guinea-Bissau scares to wider regional threats, he pressed for a single voice on security, governance and economics.
Tinubu said, “No single member state, regardless of size or theme, can achieve enduring stability in isolation. Our security, prosperity and resilience are better built together. We must sit at the same table, speak with one voice and act with shared results.”
There have been coups in Mali (2020, 2021), Burkina Faso (twice in 2022), and Niger (2023), Guinea-Bissau (2025), Benin Republic (2025 failed).
Since then, the juntas in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have withdrawn from the regional bloc in 2024.
Sierra Leone president harps on power grab
Recognising the quick response of member states to the Benin incident, ECOWAS Chair, President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, condemned the resurgence of unconstitutional power grabs in West Africa and warned that instability in one state endangers all.
“The instability in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup d’état in Benin remind us that democracy requires constant vigilance and principled action.
“On behalf of this Authority, I strongly condemn the unconstitutional change of government in Guinea-Bissau and the attempt to subvert the constitutional order in Benin.
“I commend the rapid mobilisation of ECOWAS troops and air assets, with Nigeria taking the lead to safeguard constitutional order in Benin”, he told leaders.
Bloc commits to Vision 2050
Meanwhile, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, revealed that the Authority would also issue decisions beyond routine budget and programme matters as it confronts shifting geopolitics and security headwinds that threaten the bloc’s Vision 2050 targets.
He explained, “Besides the usual institutional memorandum relating to the community work programme, budget and performance. The Authority will also be making pronouncements on the different issues affecting our community as part of the ongoing consultations on the future of our community.
“The attainment of our Vision 2050 is today impacted by changes in the global landscape and dynamics within the sub-region.”
Ex-president’s son arrested in Benin
In another development, Chabi Yayi, the son of former Beninese president and current opposition figure, Thomas Boni Yayi, was arrested early Sunday at his home, according to several of his relatives.
No reason was given for the arrest, which comes a week after the foiled coup attempt there.
“At this time, we don’t know what he is accused of,” one relative told AFP.
“We don’t know if it is linked to the events of last Sunday,” said another close friend, a member of the Democrats party, the main opposition party, which Yahi heads.
Several arrests have taken place since the December 7 putsch attempt. They include alleged participants, the former minister of defence and key opposition figure, Candide Azannai.
Azannai was placed in police custody for “conspiracy against the authority of the State and incitement to rebellion”.
Benin has also issued an international arrest warrant against pan-Africanist and anti-Western influencer Kemi Seba, who on Sunday issued a defiant response on video.
In a seven-minute-long statement, Seba said he had taken precautions since the issuing of the warrant against him, though he did not say in which country he was.
“You can never stop us,” he added. “We will go to the end of our fight.”
