By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Republic of Niger has announced new restrictions on Nigerians travelling with the ECOWAS passport, effectively barring entry for individuals holding the regional travel document.
This decision comes in the wake of Niger’s recent withdrawal, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The new immigration measures, which are being enforced at key border crossings such as Illela in Nigeria and Konni in Niger, have caused disruptions for cross-border traders and commuters.
Nigerian travelers with the ECOWAS passport are now being denied entry, despite Niger maintaining an open border with Nigeria.
The move is a part of broader diplomatic tensions following Niger’s exit from the ECOWAS bloc, a regional organization designed to foster cooperation and integration among West African countries.
However, in a related development, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has earlier identified and removed over 6,000 nationals of Niger Republic who illegally obtained Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN).
This was discovered during an ongoing database clean-up ordered by President Bola Tinubu.
According to sources in the Presidency, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, briefed the Federal Executive Council on the matter and confirmed that the illegal NINs had been withdrawn.
The interior minister stated that NIMC is “tidying up the database” to ensure that only legitimate Nigerian citizens and residents are registered.
