Deposed Nigerien president petitions West African regional court to order his release, reinstatement

By CHINEDU ASADU and BABA AHMED
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Nigerien president detained since July by the soldiers who deposed him has petitioned a regional court demanding his release and reinstatement. That’s according to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday. President Mohamed Bazoum, in an application filed this week, requested an order stating that his detention by Niger’s junta infringes on his fundamental rights and that he should be reinstated as the country’s democratically elected president. The application was filed by his lawyer in the West African regional bloc of ECOWAS court in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja. Soldiers took over power in Niger in a July coup.