 On Thursday, October 19, the internet was buzzing with the news that Muhammad Bizoum attempted to escape the custody of the military government of Niger, where he has been for the past three months, but as you well know, it was only an attempt, it did not succeed. But the big question is, who is behind the escape attempt? Who orchestrated the plan, and why now? First, let's dive into the details of the escape plan. Since he was overthrown on July 26, 2023, the deposed president has been held under house arrest by the military junta at the presidential palace in Niome with his wife Haziza and his son Salem. As you well know, unlike other deposed presidents who resigned in other countries where coups have occurred, Muhammad Bizoum has since refused to resign and continues to hope that he will be reinstated. Recall that the regional bloc, Echoes, has threatened to go to war with Niger if they refuse to reinstate Bizoum, but that plan is no longer on the ground as everybody seems to have accepted that the coup in Niger is here to stay. Bizoum, who continues to hope for his reinstatement, did not only refuse to resign but also went further to legal action in the court of justice of the economic community of West African states, Echoes, instructing a Senegalese lawyer to sue the junta for kidnapping. The lawyer even went further to say that the case of the president would be taken to the UN Human Rights Council. So, Muhammad Bizoum, who is still very hungry for his freedom and reinstatement, decided to escape and on Thursday, the escape plan was set in motion. According to the spokesman of the military government, Amadou Abdremain, the escape attempt began at 3 on Thursday morning when Bizoum, together with his wife, son, two cooks and security guards who were still faithful to him, managed to escape from the place where he was being held. According to the plan, after escaping from where he was being held inside the palace, the group would be transported to a collection point near the presidential palace, where a car was waiting for them. Getting into the car, the car would take them to a secret hideout in the Changri neighborhood on the outskirts of Niame where they would enter a helicopter. The helicopter would then take them to Burnin Kaby in northwest Nigeria. It sounds like a Hollywood escape plot, right? If only they had succeeded, but the plan did not go as smoothly as planned. The spokesman, Amadou, confirmed that the plan was foiled, the actors and main accomplices were arrested and that the situation was back under control. On behalf of General Tkiani, the military hunter of Niger, Amadou blasted Buzoum's irresponsible attitude towards escaping prolonged detention with a plan that would have involved a foreign powers. He then praised the professionalism and cold blood of the defense and security forces who remained faithful to General Omar Tkiani, adding that the prosecutor opened an investigation into the incident. Currently, no one knows where the former president and the rest of the group are being held. According to the Nigerian press, Buzoum is probably being held in a security cell, perhaps inside the presidential palace itself, separated from his family and other participants in the escape. Also adding to the mystery of where Buzoum is currently being held, it was reported that before the announcement made by the military government about the failed escape attempt, a vigorous operation was conducted by the presidential guard in the Changri district. At the end of the operation, two people were arrested, one of whom was wounded by bullets from a firearm. According to witness reports from the LSI Africa website, a large number of security forces and armored vehicles were deployed around the house in the neighborhood and exchanges of fire were heard in the surrounding area. So, it's possible that this operation conducted by the presidential guard foiled the escape plan. Now, the big question, who is behind the escape attempt? Muhammad Buzoum couldn't possibly orchestrate the escape plan all by himself because, according to reports, he has not had outside contacts for some time, so he certainly got help from someone outside. But who? There are some speculations. First, could it be Nigeria? Recall that according to the escape plan, his final destination was somewhere in Berninkebi, northwestern Nigeria, so it may be possible that he got help from the Nigerian government. However, at the moment, the government of Nigeria, implicated as the final destination of the attempted escape, has not commented on the Hunter Statements. But you should also recall that President Bola Tinibu, who is the current head of ECOWAS, has been a staunch supporter of military intervention in Nigeria to secure Buzoum's release and restoration to power. This hypothesis of a commando that acted under Nigerian leadership and the support of the United States remains one of the possibilities of the failed release operation. Another possibility for the failed attempt could be France. At the same time the escape plan was taking place, French forces, who had been expelled from the country by the military government of Nigeria, were leaving the country for Chad. That surely cannot be a mere coincidence, right? Recall that before the coup, Buzoum was a solid ally of France, and after the coup, France has staunchly supported Buzoum. France supported the regional bloc when they threatened to use force to reinstate Buzoum, and the Niger military even accused France of trying to intervene militarily to thwart the coup. It is certainly possible that the French government may have provided logistical support for an extradition operation for the depose president. Again who is behind the escape attempt? Is it Nigeria, France, or a collaboration by both? Well, we can't exactly tell so it's all speculation, but one thing is clear, the depose president, Buzoum, was certainly not working alone. What do you think? Let us hear your thoughts in the comment section below. If you enjoyed this video, smash the like button, subscribe if you are new any others video.