Nigeria's President Mohamed Bukhari warned of what he called "worsening militancy and terrorism in West Africa, the Sahel region and Lake Chad" if foreign fighters are expelled from Libya, in line with the UN resolution, stressing the need to disarm these fighters.

Bukhari raised the issue in Ghana during his speech at the 59th regular summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held on Saturday, linking the war in Libya to the emergence of rebellion in the Sahel region and his country.

Regarding the security situation in the region, the president of Nigeria stressed that the group should "note with great concern the recent UN decision to expel all foreign fighters in Libya, without first ensuring their disarmament, and that neighbouring countries should develop ways to contain or manage the movements of these fighters".

Failure to cooperate with regional stakeholders on this crucial decision "may now create new threats to peace, security and stability in the region," he said.

He also noted that the Sahel, North, Central and West Africa faced a clear risk of instability with a fully armed invasion by foreign fighters, calling on ECOWAS leaders to review the partnerships of the United Nations and regional organizations to address the risks posed by the decision to expel mercenaries to the region.

The group's leaders discussed several issues including peace and stability in the region, monitoring developments in Mali after the second coup, the "progress of ECOWAS institutional reforms in Vision 2050" as well as the single currency project.