Nigerian President Tinubu Orders for Protection of Guinea Bissau’s opposition candidate.
– To reside in Nigeria’s Embassy in Bissau.
The President Bola Tinubu’s administration has formally requested the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to provide additional protection for Mr. Fernando Dia Da Costa, a presidential candidate in Guinea-Bissau’s November 2025 general elections, following alleged “imminent threats” to his life.
In a letter dated November 30, 2025, and addressed to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, announced that President Tinubu had approved a security provision for Da Costa within the Nigerian Embassy premises in Bissau.
Tuggar noted that the approval “underscores our firm commitment to safeguarding the democratic aspirations and the sovereign will of the good people of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau,” emphasizing Nigeria’s long-standing role in stabilisation efforts across the West African sub-region.
The minister further requested that ECOWAS mandate its Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMB) to extend formal protection to the presidential candidate while he remains at the Nigerian Embassy.
“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMB) to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian Embassy,” Tuggar stated.
