President Bola Tinubu has declared an emergency extraordinary summit of Heads of State and authorities of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) open.

The summit went into a closed-door session where the heads of State of ECOWAS would make final deliberations on the way forward for the Republic of Niger, which experienced a peaceful coup d’etat recently.

Among the leaders present at the Summit at the Presidential Villa in Abuja is President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone. Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco of Guinea-Bissau, President Everiste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, and President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire

Others spotted by our correspondent include President Mohamed Ould, Ghazouani of Mauritania, President Nana Akofo-Ado of Ghana, President Macky Sall of Senegal, and President Patrice Talon of the Benin Republic.

The Presidents of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé Eyadéma and Adama Barrow of The Gambia, are still expected as of the time of filing this report.

Details later…