The Northern leadership functioning under the umbrella of the Arewa Consultative Forum has warned President Bola Tinubu to avoid a fight with the Niger military junta.

The group issued the warning while advocating a conversation to end the crisis in a statement released by its general secretary, Murtala Aliyu, on Friday.

According to ACF, military intervention or deployment to disperse coup plotters in the Niger Republic won’t guarantee peace and stability in the ECOWAS subregion.

In response to a military coup d’état that ousted the democratically elected president of the Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, OHAFIATV News had earlier reported that ECOWAS had ordered the closing of land and air borders between member nations against the Niger Republic.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments, which Nigeria leads, also gave the Niger Republic’s military a seven-day deadline to reinstate the country’s expelled president.

In a subsequent development, Tinubu wrote the Senate to request military involvement against the Niger military junta if they are defiant to capture them and reestablish democracy in the ECOWAS nation.

“ACF, however, views the unfolding events in the Republic of Niger, Nigeria’s close neighbor, and the potential impact on the region with concern,” the statement says, in part.

The proposed actions should have balanced the negative effects of using military force against the historical precedents, shared interests, and other relevant factors between the two nations.

The military option shouldn’t be a requirement for Nigeria and the Community’s ongoing efforts to enshrine democracy in the region for the 21st century, even though the ACF acknowledges the ECOWAS position to apply pressure on the coupists.

ACF pointed out that even if military action would produce a short-term fix, the outcome will have consequences for Nigeria as a leader and the regional organization.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, which is competently presided over by President Bola Tinubu, is urged by ACF to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy rather than using force, in the interest of peace with our steadfast neighbor and the stability of the ECOWAS region.