The Nigerian government has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the opposition presidential candidate in Guinea-Bissau, following threats to his life after last week’s military takeover, The Cable Reports.
In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said President Bola Tinubu approved protection for Dias da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.
The decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life,” the letter stated.
Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity and said Nigeria’s move “falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”
He added that the intervention aimed “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region,” aligning with ECOWAS principles and Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in the region.
The coup, announced by military officers just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election, saw both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and Dias da Costa claim victory before official results were released.
ECOWAS responded with an emergency virtual summit, subsequently suspending Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.
