Monday, June 2, 2025, the appeals chamber of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) confirmed the verdict issued at first instance in the Niger-Benin pipeline case.
The three Nigerien nationals, who were sentenced a year earlier, did not win their case. Among them, Moumouni Hadiza Ibra, deputy general manager of Wapco-Niger, as well as Ismael Cissé Ibrahim and Mousbahou Dankané, two petroleum inspectors. All three were found guilty of impersonation and using falsified computer data. The CRIET trial chamber had then sentenced them to ten months in prison with suspended sentences.
It all started in June 2024, amid political tensions between Benin and Niger. Arrested at the Sèmè-Podji oil terminal site, the three officials were accused of unlawfully entering the platform. The Beninese prosecutor, in its indictment, accused them of acting as representatives of the Nigerien state, despite the access ban.
At the time, the judicial procedure took on a diplomatic turn. Upon their return to Niger after their release, the three convicts were welcomed with honors by the ruling military authorities in Niamey. Their lawyers had immediately appealed.
But this attempt at judicial review was not enough. The decision of the appeals chamber, rendered in early June, confirms their conviction. If they wish, the parties concerned can still file an appeal in cassation.
Tense Relations
This judicial case is part of a broader context of tension between the two West African neighbors. Relations between Niamey and Cotonou deteriorated significantly after the July 2023 coup in Niger, followed by ECOWAS sanctions in which Benin actively participated. The Nigerien government has since accused Cotonou of hosting hostile foreign forces, an assertion categorically rejected by the Beninese authorities.
In response, Niamey closed its land borders with Benin, while Cotonou temporarily suspended the loading of Nigerien oil on its territory. An embargo that was only lifted several months later.
Since the resumption of activities at the Sèmè-Podji terminal, the situation seems to be normalizing, at least logistically. Eighteen ships have already loaded Nigerien oil destined for the international market, representing about 18 million barrels.
But diplomatically, the wounds are still fresh, and the pipeline issue continues to crystallize tensions between the two countries.