Buhari to visit Ghana for emergency ECOWAS summit on Sunday

President Muhammadu Buhari will, on Sunday, travel to Ghana for an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman, said the one-day summit will discuss the recent political developments in Mali.

Mali’s interim President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane were detained for three days by soldiers following a coup.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan visited the country and subsequently briefed Buhari about his trip on Friday.

In a statement on Saturday by Adesina said the president is expected back in Abuja at the end of the summit.

“Prior to the extraordinary summit, the President had met with the Special Envoy and ECOWAS mediator in Mali, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who briefed him on the latest developments in the country following his meeting with key political actors in the West African country,” the statement said.

“As the situation in Mali continues to evolve, Nigeria had condemned the May 24 military coup, the subsequent detention of the president and prime minister by soldiers, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilian officials detained.

“President Buhari will be accompanied by the minister of foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), minister of industry, trade and investment, Otunba Richard Adebayo, and director-general of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.”