On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, former member of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Shehu Sani expressed support for Burkina Faso’s transitional leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, amid growing international scrutiny.
Senator Sani noted that, with the way Burkina Faso’s leader is being targeted daily, he needs the prayers of the people.
The former Nigerian lawmaker wrote, “The way they are targeting the Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore,almost on a daily basis,he deserves our prayers.”
The senator’s comments come in response to a surge of criticism targeting Traoré, particularly following remarks made by U.S. General Michael Langley, head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), during a recent Senate hearing in Washington.
The Zimbabwe’s Mail, had reported earlier that General Langley alleged that Traoré had diverted Burkina Faso’s gold reserves to fund personal security measures rather than channeling the resources toward national development.
Recall that Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed power in Burkina Faso on September 30, 2022, after leading a military coup that ousted Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Damiba had himself come to power earlier that year, in January 2022, through a coup that removed then-President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
