Niger Republic has implemented a new immigration policy that now requires Nigerians to have a valid international passport for entry, making the ECOWAS passports ineligible for admission.
This change follows Niger’s recent withdrawal from ECOWAS, along with Mali and Burkina Faso. Although officially the border between Nigeria and Niger is declared open, travellers are facing increasing difficulties to pass through, especially at major crossing points like Illela (Nigeria) and Konni (Niger).
Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, a trader, described the hardship. “I believe there is a move to abolish the ECOWAS passport as a means of travelling here; they have started harassing us if we are entering the country,” he said.
He added, “Some of our people are being turned back home. We learnt that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to Niger Republic to replace the old ECOWAS passport.”
Abdullahi said he fears for the impact of the new policy on cross-border businesses. “Some of our people are getting scared of the aftermath of all these issues, which have started to affect our business and trading activities,” he explained.
Another trader alleged that Nigerians with ECOWAS passports are now being extorted between 5,000 to 10,000 CFA before they’re allowed to pass.
The three SAHEL countries – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formed a new economic bloc, the AES, to rival ECOWAS. They bolted from ECOWAS last year after, under the Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, ECOWAS placed sanctions on the Nigerien military government when it ousted President Mohamed Bazoum from office in the July 26, 2023 coup.
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