In a recent development after the power seizure on July 26, the junta in Niger has taken further action by arresting four ministers, a former minister, and the head of ousted president Mohamed Bazoum’s party.
The Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) revealed this information in a statement to AFP, expressing concerns over the mounting arrests since the detention of the president.
Among those detained were Oil Minister Mahamane Sani Mahamadou, Mining Minister Ousseini Hadizatou, and the head of PNDS’s national executive committee, Fourmakoye Gado.
Earlier, the junta had already arrested Interior Minister Hama Amadou Souley, Transport Minister Oumarou Malam Alma, and Kalla Moutari, an MP and former defense minister.
The PNDS called for their immediate release, cautioning against the risk of Niger turning into a “dictatorial and totalitarian regime.”
Meanwhile, a source close to the presidency reported the arrest of the minister for vocational teaching, Kassoum Moctar. In tandem with these arrests, the junta has demanded that “all former ministers and heads of institutions” return their office cars soon.
