The stage has been set for a showdown in Gambia as Nigeria and other neighbouring African countries, have deployed troops and fighter jets ahead of today’s end of President Yahya Jammeh’s tenure.

Nigeria in line with the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) mandate, deployed 200 Air Force troops from the 117 Air Combat Training Group (ACTG), in Kainji, Niger State.

The Air Force personnel were flown out to Dakar, the Senegalese capital, from where they will operate should there be a need to move them for combat.

According to a Nigerian Air Force spokesman, Ayodele Famuyiwa, the deployment is also to forestall hostilities or breakdown of law and order that may result from the current political stand-off in Gambia.

Nigeria has been said to have asked British military advisers to help in the planning of a military invasion in Gambia so as to install Adama Barrow, as the country’s new president.

Meanwhile, Jammeh’s tenure which expired at midnight on Wednesday was earlier extended by 90 days by Gambia’s Parliament and a state of emergency has also been declared in the country.

However, Gambia’s President-elect, Adama Barrow on Thursday took to twitter to announce that he will be sworn into office at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal.

Anita Fatunji