This decision comes after Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, recently pulled out of the Economic Community of West African States.
Even though the border with Nigeria remains open, new immigration policies are being put in place at key crossing points like Illela and Konni. Now, cross-border traders and commuters are having a tough time since Nigerien officials no longer accept the ECOWAS passport as a valid form of ID.
Alhaji Mansur Abdullah, a trader who often travels between the two nations, has confirmed this situation.
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 learnt that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to 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”
A source from Taiwan has reported that border officials in Niger Republic are now turning away people who only have an 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 shared.
Abubakar Isa, a commercial driver on the Illela-Konni route, claimed that security personnel in Niger are taking advantage of the situation to extort money from travelers.
“They demand between 5,000 to 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 bribe before you can be allow to go, “ he added.
A trader from Illela, Alhaji Nuhu Abubakar, mentioned that Niger’s exit from ECOWAS hasn’t immediately affected trade or movement at the border.
“The border remains open on both the Nigerian and Nigerien sides. We’ve heard rumours that the military junta in Niger is considering restricting motorcycle movement between the two countries, but for now, nothing concrete has been decided.”
While there hasn’t been any official word from the Nigerien government about a total ban on ECOWAS passports, travelers are worried that things could get worse, impacting trade and movement across the border.
When reached out to on Monday, Joel Ahofodji, the Head of Communication for the ECOWAS Commission, stated that the regional bloc was not aware of Niger Republic’s policy to deny entry to ECOWAS passport holders.