The Republic of Niger has begun to impose limitations on Nigerians traveling with the ECOWAS passport, prohibiting admission for individuals who do not have a valid international passport.
This follows the country’s recent resignation from the Economic Community of West African States, along with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Despite keeping the border open with Nigeria, new immigration controls are being introduced at crossings such as Illela (Nigeria) and Konni (Nigeria).
Cross-border businessmen and commuters are increasingly experiencing difficulty since Nigerien officials refuse to recognize the ECOWAS passport as a recognized form of identification.
Alhaji Mansur Abdullah, a businessman who regularly travels between the two countries, confirmed the development.
He said, “I believe there is a move to abolish the ECOWAS passport as a means of traveling here; they have started harassing us if we are entering the country.
“Some of our people are being turned back home. We learned that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to the Niger Republic to replace the old ECOWAS passport.
“Some of our people are getting scared of the aftermath of all these issues, which have started to affect our business and trading activities.”
According to reports in Taiwan, a state in Niger Republic, border officials have started turning back individuals relying solely on the ECOWAS passport.
“Some of our people have already been sent home. The authorities insist on their own national passport, making it difficult for traders and travelers,” he explained.
Abubakar Isa, a commercial driver on the Illela-Konni route, stated that security officials in Niger have begun exploiting the situation to extort travelers.
“They demand between 5,000 and 10,000 CFA before allowing those with an ECOWAS passport to pass. If you can’t produce Niger’s new identification document, they take you to their office and pressure you to pay a bribe.
“Once they stop either the vehicle or motorcycle at their border, they take you to their office and make the demand for the passport, which they know we don’t have; they then collect money as a bribe before you can be allowed to go,” he added.
A trader in Illela, Alhaji Nuhu Abubakar, disclosed that Niger’s withdrawal from ECOWAS has had no immediate impact on trade or movement across the border.
He said, “We have continued our normal activities as usual, and there is no sign of an impending closure.
“The border remains open on both the Nigerian and Nigerien sides. We’ve heard rumors that the military junta in Niger is considering restricting motorcycle movement between the two countries, but for now, nothing concrete has been decided.”
Although the Nigerien administration has yet to confirm a complete ban on ECOWAS passports, impacted travelers are concerned that the situation could deteriorate, affecting cross-border trade and movement.
When contacted on Monday, ECOWAS Commission Head of Communication Joel Ahofodji stated that the regional bloc was ignorant of the Niger Republic’s policy of barring ECOWAS passport holders.
