The man alleged to have perpetrated the March 31 coup attempt in Niger, Captain Sani Gourouza, has been arrested in Benin, reports said on Thursday.
End of the run for Captain Sani Gourouza, believed to be the instigator of the failed coup. He was arrested Monday in Benin and handed over to the Nigerien Police.
The captain of the Air Force was accused of having led an attempted coup, on the night of March 30 to 31, 48 hours before the swearing-in of the President-elect, Mohamed Bazoum.
The mutineers he commanded at Niamey 101 air base attacked an outpost of the presidential guard, which vigorously retaliated, forcing the attackers to retreat. In their attempt to withdraw, some of them had been arrested by the Republican Police.
Since these events, the captain who was on the run was actively sought, forcing the local authorities to issue an arrest warrant against him.
Despite confirmation of his arrest by security sources, the government has yet to officially react to this information.
Elected on February 23, Mohamed Bazoum faces a challenge from the opposition led by Mahamane Ousmane, who does not recognize his victory, in a country that witnessed three coups d’Etat between 1974 and 2010.
In a statement read on public TV, the minister and government spokesman, Abdourahamane Zakaria, had argued a few hours after this coup attempt that “several people in connection with the coup attempt were arrested and that others are actively hunted.”
CD/fss/abj/APA