West African powerhouses united in Abuja Sunday at the 68th ECOWAS summit, vowing a bulletproof front to halt Sahel coups and terrorism’s chokehold—recognizing these borderless beasts demand collective firepower, not lone ranger tactics, amid recent jolts like Guinea-Bissau unrest and Benin’s foiled putsch.
President Bola Tinubu lit the fuse, blasting incessant takeovers, arms bazaars, cyber threats and climate hammers as shared nightmares, warning internal squabbles are the real Achilles’ heel—”fraternity over force”—while recommitting Nigeria’s muscle to ECOWAS ideals for indivisible security and growth; Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio saluted Nigeria’s Benin rescue, unveiled 2026 regional flight cuts to slash travel costs, and tapped billionaire Aliko Dangote as Business Council chair to turbocharge trade.
ECOWAS boss Omar Touray spotlighted rapid regional ripostes proving bloc resilience, as AU’s Bankole Adeoye deemed coups “unacceptable,” eyeing deeper democracy drills— a pivotal pivot for 400M+ citizens, potentially stabilizing investments, curbing migrant crises, and unlocking economic synergies long stifled by instability.
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