Foreign
Niger: ECOWAS plans fresh sanctions on Burkina Faso, Mali, UN talks fail
•ECOWAS leaders meet Thursday after botched AU, UN, US planned visit to Niamey
•Over 100,000 IDPs stranded in Niger, businesses grounded in Sokoto, Katsina borders
The Economic Community of West African States has imposed heavier financial sanctions on the Niger junta and entities supporting them including the governments of Mali and Burkina Faso.
The development came after a diplomatic mission by the African Union, ECOWAS, United Nations and the United States to resolve the political impasse in Niger hit a brick wall on Tuesday as the military junta refused to grant audience to the delegations.
The military leaders also snubbed the Acting US Deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, and denied her access to the coup leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani and ousted President, Muhammed Bazoum, who was being held in the presidential palace.
Some military officers led by Tchiani overthrew Bazoum on July 26 leading to a flurry of sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS to compel them to restore the ousted president to power.
On Tuesday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, told journalists in Abuja that more sanctions had been imposed on the individuals and entities relating with the military junta.
The joint AU, ECOWAS and UN delegation planned a trip to Niamey to negotiate with the junta ahead of the Thursday summit of ECOWAS but the military officers denied permission to enter Niger to the delegation, according to a letter circulated on social media whose authenticity was confirmed by a Niger army spokesman.
Announcing the latest round of sanctions in Abuja on Tuesday, Ngelale said the latest prohibition was targeted at individuals and entities relating with the military junta in Niger Republic.
Although he did not go into details, he said the restriction was carried out through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He stated, “I can also report that following the expiration of the deadline of the ultimatum and standing on the pre-existing consensus position of financial sanctions meted out on the military junta in Niger Republic by the bloc of ECOWAS Heads of State, President Bola Tinubu has ordered an additional slew of financial sanctions through the Central Bank of Nigeria on entities and individuals related to or involved with the military junta in Niger Republic.
“The ECOWAS mandate and ultimatum is not a Nigerian ultimatum. It is not a Nigerian mandate and the office of the President, also serving as the chairman of ECOWAS, seeks to emphasise this point that due to certain domestic and international media coverage, tending toward personalisation of the ECOWAS sub-regional position to his person and our nation individually.
“It is because of this that Mr President has deemed it necessary to state unequivocally that the mandate and ultimatum issued by ECOWAS is that of ECOWAS position. While President Bola Tinubu has assumed the ECOWAS chairmanship, the position of ECOWAS conveys the consensus position of member Heads of State. And a coup will not occur in one’s backyard, without one being particularly aware of it.”
The fresh sanctions by ECOWAS on the Niger Republic apply to Mali and Burkina Faso, a presidency source revealed on Tuesday.
“They (Burkina Faso and Mali) are included in the ECOWAS sanction. It affects any and every entity that is doing business with the Niger Republic. There is no hidden meaning to that, it’s clear,” the source who didn’t want to be mentioned told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, Ngelale explained that Tinubu had consulted extensively in the past few days following the expiration of the one-week ultimatum issued to the junta to hand over power to the deposed president.
He added, “The President in recent days, particularly following the expiration of the ultimatum given by ECOWAS, has widened consultations internationally but most especially domestically, including interfaces with state governors in Nigeria, who govern states bordering Niger Republic on the various fallouts and outcomes of the unfortunate situation that has unfolded in Niger Republic.
“But President Bola Tinubu wishes to emphasise to this distinguished audience that the response of ECOWAS to the military coup in Niger has been and will remain devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments and considerations.
“The regional bloc is made up of all sub-regional ethnic groups, religious groups, and all other forms of human diversity. And the response of ECOWAS, therefore, represents all of these groups, and not any of these groups individually.”
Intervention snubbed
Reuters reports that the letter said popular anger among Niger’s citizens over sanctions imposed by ECOWAS in response to the coup made it impossible to host the envoys safely and denounced “a climate of threatened aggression against Niger.”
An AU spokesperson confirmed that the mission had been denied access, while ECOWAS declined to comment.
The junta had already snubbed meetings with a senior US envoy and another ECOWAS delegation.
Niger is the world’s seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the most widely used fuel for nuclear energy, adding to its strategic importance.
The UN said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly supported mediation efforts by ECOWAS, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told French radio station RFI that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the situation.
He declined to comment on the future of some 1,100 US troops in Niger, where French, German and Italian troops are also stationed.
Blinken later told the BBC he was worried that Russia’s Wagner mercenaries were taking advantage of the instability in Niger to strengthen their presence in the Sahel.
“I think what happened and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but they tried to take advantage of it,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Western allies fear that Niger could go the way of Mali, which threw out French troops and UN peacekeepers and invited in mercenaries from the Wagner group after a 2021 coup.
“Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed,” Blinken told the BBC.
Nuland, who was denied permission to meet both Tchiani and Bazoum in Niamey, told reporters her talks with more junior officers were “frank and difficult” and they had shown little interest in exploring ways to restore democratic order.
Last week, ECOWAS sent a mission to Niamey led by former President Abdulsalami Abubakar, but the coup leaders also refused to see him.
In contrast, Tchiani on Monday met a joint delegation from Mali and Burkina Faso, both neighbouring countries where the military has seized power from civilians. The juntas there have pledged support for the coup in Niger.
Alongside the Malian army, fighters presumed to be from Wagner have reportedly carried out a brutal military offensive, executing hundreds of civilians last year, witnesses and rights groups say, charges the army and Wagner denied.
In a new report seen by Reuters on Monday, UN sanctions monitors said they had also used a campaign of sexual violence and other grave human rights abuses to terrorise the population.
However, in furtherance of its resolution, the ECOWAS under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu has imposed fresh sanctions on the junta in Niger.
The regional bloc had earlier given the coupists seven days to reinstate President Bazoum or risk sanctions, including possible military action.
But they called the bluff of ECOWAS and vowed to resist any foreign intervention on their soil.
They further severed ties with Nigeria, Togo, France and the US, and shut down Nigerien airspace indefinitely.
At the end of the ultimatum, the bloc scheduled a meeting for Thursday to review the situation in the West African nation.
The sentence was handed down on Friday by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after Adewale pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.
Announcing the sentence in a statement on Friday, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, said Adewale was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 27, of Nigeria was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joel Slomsky to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” the statement read.
According to Metcalf, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a joint operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting sexual extortion suspects preying on victims in the United States.
Metcalf noted that the convict was extradited to the US in February 2026 with the assistance of the US authorities and the Nigerian government.
Following his extradition, Adewale was arraigned and subsequently pleaded guilty in April this year.
Commenting on the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Philadelphia, Wayne A. Jacobs, said the sentence demonstrates that offenders cannot escape justice by operating outside the United States.
“Today’s sentencing illustrates criminals cannot evade justice, even outside of our borders,” Jacobs said.
“This final sentencing is the result of diligent investigative work and close coordination with our domestic and international law enforcement partners.
“Most importantly, today’s sentence represents our continued commitment to seeking justice for victims and their loved ones. Let today’s sentencing send a clear message: alongside our partners here and abroad, the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and bringing to justice those who prey on our communities.”
Also reacting, the chief of the Abington Township Police Department, Patrick Molloy, praised the collaboration between local and federal authorities.
“We are grateful for the federal agents and prosecutors who worked so hard to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.
“This could have been anyone’s child, and while this prosecution may provide some measure of relief, the pain and suffering for this family will never go away,” Molloy said.
The US authorities said Adewale was the last of three Nigerian suspects convicted in connection with the sextortion case.
His co-defendant, Samuel Abiodun, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in June 2025.
Another accomplice, Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in October 2025.
“I hope that their arrests, extradition, and prosecution make clear that the DOJ will go after those terrorising our young people — no matter where the scammers and sextortionists may be.
“Though this case is now closed, our thoughts will remain with a family and community forever changed,” Metcalf noted.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has finalised a new rule limiting most foreign students and exchange visitors to a maximum stay of four years, unless they obtain an extension from the federal government, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The new regulation, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ends the long-standing “duration of status” policy, which allowed international students to remain in the United States for the length of their academic programmes, provided they complied with visa requirements.
The restriction applies to holders of F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visitor visas.
According to The Washington Post, the DHS acknowledged concerns that some students may struggle to complete their academic programmes within the new timeframe, noting that many bachelor’s degree programmes take more than four years to complete, while doctoral programmes often require significantly longer.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the change was necessary to strengthen immigration enforcement and reduce visa overstays.
“For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” Mullin said.
The policy has drawn criticism from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which described the move as unnecessary and warned that it would create uncertainty for international students.
“DHS’ decision to end Duration of Status is a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively,” NAFSA Executive Director Fanta Aw said.
The new rule comes as many US colleges and universities continue to face challenges in attracting international students amid tighter immigration policies and visa restrictions introduced by the Trump administration.
A coroner’s court in the United Kingdom has ruled that a 27-year-old Nigerian woman, Beatrice Solomon, died by suicide after battling mental health challenges linked to personal difficulties.
Beatrice, who relocated from Nigeria to the UK on a skilled worker visa in November 2023, was found unresponsive in her home on Norris Road, Stanfield.
According to a report by The Sentinel on Sunday, the inquest heard that her husband, Damian Butler, had left home for his delivery job at about 4:30 pm on the day of the incident before returning approximately two hours later to use the toilet, where he discovered his wife unresponsive.
A police officer, PC Hinchliffe, told the court that emergency responders arrived shortly afterwards, but Beatrice was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:21pm.
According to the report, the investigators ruled out any third-party involvement in her death.
During the hearing, Butler told the court that his wife had struggled with her mental health over the past year, which he attributed to ongoing issues involving Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
He also disclosed that he later became aware that Beatrice had made two previous attempts to take her life.
“It is clear to me that Beatrice had researched and planned how to take her life. I can only extend my sincere condolences to Beatrice’s family and friends,” the coroner said.
Beatrice, who worked as a carer in the UK, is survived by her husband, a son, and her siblings.
This tragedy highlights the emotional and mental health challenges some migrants may face while adjusting to life in a new country.
According to the World Health Organisation, research from various countries has shown that some migrants face increased mental health risks due to factors such as separation from their families, financial stress, uncertainty, discrimination, and cultural barriers.
The WHO stated that the findings underscore the need for accessible mental health support and timely interventions for migrants experiencing psychological distress.
Israel recently shared intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, according to a report.
The latest assassination plan, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, comes after years of Iranian regime threats to kill Trump as revenge for the 2020 killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem Soleimani by US forces.
When asked for comment, the White House referred The Post to Trump’s Wednesday remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump traveled to Turkey on his new Qatari “palace in the sky” plane, but took a different Air Force One home. The plane switch was a strategic “distraction” to keep the commander-in-chief safe, the White House said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who accompanied the president to the summit, was instructed not to travel to Israel as planned shortly before Trump chose to switch planes in Turkey. It’s unclear if the Iranian threat extended to the war secretary.
Trump terminates remaining members of Election Assistance Commission after landmark Supreme Court ruling expanded his powers
The Journal report did not include details of the alleged assassination plot.
The Israelis tipped the US off about the plot earlier this week. The specific threat was not being tracked by US officials before Israel’s warning and has yet to be vetted, CNN reported.
A banner against President Trump is held in Tehran as mourners gather on the day of burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The warning comes as Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become somewhat fraught amid the Iran war.
Trump on June 1 told Netanyahu he was “f–king crazy” over his attacks on Lebanon, fearing they would provoke more war with Iran.
”You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” a US official summarized Trump’s comments, which the president later confirmed to The Post.
The world leaders have spoken on at least two occasions since the tense June 1 call, including Thursday, and have agreed to meet “in the near future,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Banners vowing revenge against Trump were on full display in Tehran this week as Iranians prepared to bury late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war.
This was disclosed in a statement released on the website of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday.
The DHS claimed that these individuals have been placed on what it described as its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register.
While the names and photos have been made public, the timeline for deportations remains undisclosed.
However, the US immigration authorities explained that the deportations are part of ongoing immigration enforcement, stressing that those listed were convicted of serious crimes, but declined to provide details about the offences or when deportations would take place.
The statement read: “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here.”
The website then listed: “Sunday Adediora, Sunday Kunkushi, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Marcus Unigwe, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Boluwaji Akingunsoye, Ejike Asiegbunam, Emmanuel Mayegun Adeola, Bamidele Bolatiwa, Ifeanyi Nwaozomudoh, Aderemi Akefe, Solomon Wilfred, Chibundu Anuebunwa, Joshua Ineh, Usman Momoh, Oluwole Odunowo, Bolarinwa Salau, Oriyomi Aloba.”
Others are Oludayo Adeagbo, Olaniyi Akintuyi, Talatu Dada, Olatunde Oladinni, Jelili Qudus, Abayomi Daramola, Toluwani Adebakin, Olamide Jolayemi, Isaiah Okere, Benji Macaulay, Joseph Ogbara, Olusegun Martins, Kingsley Ariegwe, Olugbenga Abass, Oyewole Balogun, Adeyinka Ademokunla, Christian Ogunghide, Christopher Ojuma, Olamide Adedipe, Patrick Onogwu, Olajide Olateru-Olagbegi and Omotayo Akinto.
There are also Kenneth Unanka, Jeremiah Ehis, Oluwafemi Orimolade, Ayibatonye Bienzigha, Uche Diuno, Akinwale Adaramaja, Boluwatife Afolabi, Chinonso Ochie, Olayinka A. Jones, Theophilus Anwana, Aishatu Umaru, Henry Idiagbonya, Okechukwu Okoronkwo, Daro Kosin, Sakiru Ambali, Kamaludeen Giwa, Cyril Odogwu, Ifeanyi Echigeme, Kingsley Ibhadore, Suraj Tairu, Peter Equere, Dasola Abdulraheem, Adewale Aladekoba, and Akeem Adeleke.
Also listed were Bernard Ogie Oretekor, Abiemwense Obanor, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Chukwuemeka Okorie, Abimbola Esan, Elizabeth Miller, Chima Orji, Adetunji Olofinlade, Abdul Akinsanya, Elizabeth Adeshewo, Dennis Ofuoma, Quazeem Adeyinka, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Olumide Bankole Morakinyo, Abraham Ola Osoko, Oluchi Jennifer and Chibuzo Nwaonu.
The latest action is part of the sweeping immigration enforcement measures introduced by the administration of US President Donald Trump after his return to office on January 20, 2025.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed a series of executive orders declaring illegal immigration a national emergency and directing federal agencies to intensify border security and accelerate the removal of undocumented migrants.
One of the orders, titled: “Protecting the American People Against Invasion, instructed immigration authorities to prioritise the arrest and deportation of removable migrants, particularly those considered threats to public safety and national security.”
Defending the policy, the DHS said the administration was delivering on Trump’s campaign promise to carry out mass deportations, beginning with what it described as the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders.
The department said officers of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been directed to intensify operations nationwide against non-citizens convicted of serious crimes.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also defended the crackdown, saying the administration remained committed to enforcing immigration laws and removing undocumented immigrants with criminal records in line with President Trump’s immigration agenda.Executive Branch
Official US immigration data indicate that Guatemala has recorded the highest number of deportees since the renewed crackdown began, followed by Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, reflecting the administration’s focus on migrants from Latin America.
The US has also expanded deportation flights to countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean as enforcement operations continue.
Nigeria has also come under increased scrutiny by the Trump administration. In June, Washington imposed partial visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens, citing concerns over identity management, information sharing, visa overstay rates and security screening.Demographics.
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