Niger's Finance Minister Facing Firing Squad After Coup? Fact Emerges

Ahmat Jidoud, Niger’s ex-finance minister, is not the man shedding tears in a widely-circulated social media video
Social media users posting the video erroneously claim it shows Jidoud weeping following the coup in Niger in July
The video, however, is old, and the individual crying is Marou Amadou, Niger’s former justice minister

Niamey, Niger Republic - A video of a man crying uncontrollably as he wipes his face with his green scarf has been circulating online since late July 2023.

Those circulating the clip claim the man is Niger’s minister of finance Ahmat Jidoud, and faces execution.

Niger/Niger coup/Niger crisis
The claim that the Nigerien minister of finance, Ahmat Jidoud would be executed is misleading. Pictured (left) is Marou Amadou. Photo credits: Sia Kambou/AFP, Balima Boureima/Anadolu Agency Source: Getty Images
Did Niger’s finance minister truly cry
?
A caption reads:

“Finance Minister of Niger Republic weeps after being reportedly told by new military junta to account for all the stolen money of the country in the next 48 hours or face execution by firing squad.”
The video and its claim have spread widely. It can be seen on Facebook here, here, here, and here. It has also been posted on Twitter (now called X) here, here, and here, and on blogs. In fact, a particular tweet on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, claimed 'the accused minister' has been executed.

But does it show Niger’s finance minister crying after he was given 48 hours to account for the country’s stolen money or face a firing squad? A fact-checking platform investigated the claim.

Video doesn't show the finance minister
After its scrutiny, Africa Check stated that the video is stale -- from 2021.

The clip showed Niger’s former justice minister, Marou Amadou -- not Jidoud -- tearfully thanking the country’s former president, Issoufou Mahamadou, for “giving him everything”.

Amadou served as justice minister under Mahamadou between April 2011 and April 2021.

Niger: Tinubu meets key ECOWAS stakeholders
In a piece of related article, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Tinubu met with some critical stakeholders in the ECOWAS intervention.

President Tinubu is the chairman of the authority of the Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States.

Some of the personalities who attended the meeting are the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray; the leader of the ECOWAS delegation to Niger Republic’s military junta, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; and Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Source: Legit ng