Nigeria’s newest warship, the NNS Unity, is sailing towards The Gambia ahead of possible military intervention over President Yahya Jammeh's refusal to accept election defeat and step down when his term expires on Thursday.
Ceoafrica gathered that the patrol vessel is currently sailing off the coast of Ghana after leaving from the commercial capital, Lagos.
The African leaders’ initial aim is to put on a show of force rather than to launch an attack, as Senegal is also preparing ground troops ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
The Gambia’s tiny army is no match for the regional powers, which in recent years, President Jammeh has been promoting, including army Chief, Ousman Badjie, to ranks beyond their competence, which has further downgraded his military capabilities.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has sad that military intervention will be a last resort to bring an end to the political deadlock in The Gambia, whose citizens have been fleeing over fears of violence that might arise over President Jammeh’s refusal to hand over power.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has been leading mediation efforts to persuade President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia to hand power to former estate agent Adama Barrow, who won the country’s 1st of December polls.
