Salissou Chaïbou, the general public district attorney at the Niamey Court of appeal, stated on Tuesday that there had actually been an escape effort by President Mohamed Bazoum, who was toppled by a coup in Niger and imprisoned after the previous president’s legal representatives rejected it. “These are genuine realities, not an act,” stated Salissou Chaïbou of Mohamed Bazoum’s escape effort, in a declaration broadcast on the nationwide tv station Télé Sahel. Mr Chaïbou likewise asserted that there had actually certainly been an “exfiltration strategy” detailed by the military program in mid-October, “trumped-up allegations”, according to Mr Bazoum’s attorneys at the time. “On the night of 18 to 19 October”, previous president Bazoum, “his household, his security group and his cooks, bring numerous parcels, were stopped” by “representatives of the governmental guard, as they made their escape of the palace”, stated Mr Chaïbou. He included that an automobile was waiting on them “to take them to a home” in a district of Niamey, “determined as coming from Mohamed Ben Hamaye, a previous member of Bazoum’s bodyguard” and “assumed mastermind of the operation”, defining the location of the rest of their prepared helicopter journey: Birnin Kebbi, in north-west Nigeria. Mr Chaïbou stated that “a precise search of the plans and a search of the previous president’s house resulted in the discovery of large amounts of cash in (CFA) francs and foreign currency, along with different valuable products”.”In specific, an amount of 86,250,000 CFA francs, 17,017 United States dollars, 3,835 euros, 5 pounds sterling, 16 cedis, 2,800 grams of gold, 333 grams of silver”, electronic devices and “many telephone chips” that “show special usages for calls to cover their tracks”, he detailed. He likewise pointed out the discovery of “around 10 damaged smart phones”. Mr Chaïbou likewise described “espionage”, in addition to “intelligence on the Presidential Guard”, prior to the sending out of images “to the French by the previous President of the Republic”, Mohamed Bazoum. “Twenty-three civilians and military workers have actually been detained in connection with this affair”, he stated, explaining that an “examination is underway”. He likewise explained that Mohamed Bazoum remained in his governmental home, where he has actually been accepted his partner and child considering that the coup that toppled him on 26 July.
Niger: Niamey appeal court district attorney validates escape effort by Bazoum
