Northern leaders caution Tinubu not to go to war with Niger.

President Bola Tinubu has been cautioned by the Northern leadership operating under the auspices of the Arewa Consultative Forum to stay out of a conflict with the Niger military junta.

In a statement released by its general secretary, Murtala Aliyu, on Friday, the group issued the warning while urging a conversation to settle the conflict.

The ECOWAS sub-region's peace and stability won't be assured by military deployment or involvement to drive away coup plotters in the Niger Republic, claims ACF.

The PUNCH had previously stated that ECOWAS had ordered the closing of air and land borders between member states against the Niger Republic due to a military coup that had ousted Mohamed Bazoum, a president who had been legally elected.

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments, which Nigeria leads, also gave the Niger Republic's military a seven-day deadline to reinstate the country's expelled president.

In a subsequent event, Tinubu also contacted the Senate to request military action against the obstinate Niger military junta in an effort to overthrow them and reinstate democracy in the ECOWAS nation.

"ACF, however, views the unfolding events in Nigeria's close neighbor, the Republic of Niger, and the potential impact on the region with concern," the statement reads in part.

The proposed actions should have balanced the negative effects of using military force against the historical precedents, shared interests, and other relevant factors between the two nations.

The military option shouldn't be a requirement for Nigeria and the Community's ongoing efforts to enshrine democracy in the region for the 21st century, even though the ACF acknowledges the ECOWAS position to apply pressure to the criminals.

ACF pointed out that even if military action would produce a short-term fix, the outcome will have consequences for Nigeria as a leader and the regional organization.

"To this end, ACF emphasizes that while it supports the position to reinstate democratic governance in Niger, it calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government under the competent Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, that it should follow the route of diplomacy and negotiation rather than force in addressing the current issue in Niger in the interest of peaceful cohabitation with our benevolent neighbor and stability of the ECOWAS region," it added.