By Ismail Auwal
Mohamed Bazoum was on Friday sworn in as the first democratic president of Niger Republic.
Mohamed Bazoum, 60, a former interior minister, won over half the share of the vote in an election in February.
The inauguration marks the first time one elected leader has handed power to another since independence in 1960.
There was tight security in the capital, Niamey, ahead of the ceremony, two days after soldiers opened fire on the presidential palace in a foiled coup attempt.
The swearing in comes just days after the government says it thwarted an attempted coup by parts of the military.
The West African nation is facing increasing attacks by jihadist groups and political tensions in the country since the election in February.
The government said security forces arrested several people connected to the coup on Wednesday.
Niger is the world’s poorest nation, according to the UN’s development rankings for 189 countries. It has seen four military coups, most recently in 2010.
