Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – Nigeria has granted asylum and diplomatic protection to Guinean opposition presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, who is currently hiding inside the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau following last week’s military coup in Guinea-Bissau.
According to Premium Times relayed by the Portuguese news agency Lusa, President Bola Tinubu approved the decision after receiving credible reports of threats to Dias’s physical safety. The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the move on Monday, noting that Lagos had authorized the embassy to place the candidate under its protection.
In a letter dated November 30 and addressed to ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the decision reflects Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding democratic processes and protecting political actors amid deepening instability.
“The President’s decision is a proactive measure to ensure Mr. Da Costa’s safety in response to imminent threats to his life,” the letter stated. It further stressed that the move “underlines our firm commitment to safeguarding the democratic aspirations and sovereign will of the good people of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
Dias confirmed the asylum decision to Deutsche Welle. Last week, he revealed he was in hiding, accusing the armed forces of halting the electoral process and installing a “transitional president” outside constitutional norms.
ECOWAS Presses for Resolution Ahead of December 14 Summit
A high-level ECOWAS delegation is in Bissau to mediate the political and military crisis following the November 26 power seizure. The delegation met on Monday with the High Military Command.
Guinea-Bissau’s new Foreign Minister, João Bernardo Vieira, who took office on Saturday, said after the meeting that the transitional authorities and ECOWAS would continue to work closely, with next steps depending on the organization’s Heads of State Summit on December 14.
“A one-year deadline has been set for the transition, but obviously this will be submitted to the Conference of Heads of State and Government on December 14th, and depending on that decision, we will know how to proceed,” he said.
Vieira emphasized that ECOWAS “will not abandon Guinea-Bissau at this very difficult time” and remains committed to helping restore constitutional order as quickly as possible.
Magistrates and Electoral Officials Freed
Meanwhile, five magistrates from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and several members of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) secretariat were released on Monday after being detained by the military during the coup.
Januário Correia, president of the Guinean Bar Association, confirmed to Lusa that the officials, who are involved in overseeing elections, had been held without explanation at the Second Police Station in Bissau since Wednesday.
Their release comes as regional and international pressure grows on the military authorities to reverse their actions and return the country to constitutional rule.
