Former Nigerian senator Shehu Sani has called for Niger and its fellow Sahel states to return to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after fresh attacks in the capital Niamey.

Sani, in a post on X on Saturday, said the attacks exposed the vulnerability and fragility of Niger’s military government and warned of a dangerous security trend across the region.

“No Government installed by military coup stays longer without a counter coup. We have been through that phase in our history,” Sani wrote.

He urged Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which are all ruled by military governments, to “reunite with ECOWAS in the interests of regional peace and security.”

Sani’s comments followed overnight gunfire and explosions in several parts of Niamey, including around Diori Hamani International Airport and Air Base 101, a major military installation.

A security source cited by Reuters said attackers had targeted the airport and attempted to breach the security perimeter around the presidential palace. Another security source said some attackers had been neutralised while others fled, prompting security forces to launch search operations.

Bana Wagana Ibrahim, a member of Niger’s Consultative Council and a deputy in the Alliance of Sahel States parliament, said security forces had regained control of Base 101.

Niger’s military government urged residents to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information, while official casualty figures and a confirmed claim of responsibility for Saturday’s violence were not immediately available.

The incident is the latest security challenge to confront Niger’s military rulers, who seized power in a 2023 coup after years of jihadist violence in the wider Sahel.

The airport complex has already been targeted twice this year. An attack in January was claimed by Islamic State-linked militants, while the June assault was claimed by the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group.

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso formally left ECOWAS in January 2025 and have since deepened cooperation under the Alliance of Sahel States, including on defence and regional institutions.

The three juntas have also moved away from traditional Western security partners and sought closer ties with Russia.

Saturday’s violence, however, again highlighted the security challenges facing the military-led governments, with the latest attack reaching sensitive military and government installations in the capital.

Sani did not suggest that a counter-coup was imminent, but his warning drew on West Africa’s history of repeated military interventions and instability following coups.