Former Nigeria’s Military Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar has said that ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum told the delegation of the Economic Community of West African States delegation the challenges he has faced since he was detained by the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani.

Abdulsalami led a high-powered delegation of the ECOWAS to the troubled West African nation.

The delegation met with Prime Minister Ali Zeine who received them at the airport and led them to the presidential palace.

They met with Tchiani, and his team for about 90 minutes and later President Mohamed Bazoum.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting with Bazoum, Abdulsalami said, “We met him and heard his side of the story. He told us what was done to him and the challenges he is facing.

“We will communicate this to ECOWAS leaders. Doors for talks are now open for a lasting solution.”

The former Head of State did not go into details of the discussion with the ousted president.

But some weeks ago, CNN quoted Bazoum in a series of text messages to a friend as saying he had been “deprived of all human contact”, with no one supplying him food or medicine.

According to the overthrown president, he had been living without electricity, a normal occurrence for all Nigeriens after Nigeria cut off electric power in response to the coup.

Bazoum said all of the perishable food he was supplied with has since gone bad, and he was now eating dry pasta and rice. (Sunday PUNCH)