Niger has prohibited an airplane carrying a German minister to fly over its territory, Berlin's air force said on X.
"Niger has banned all flights from Nigeria from overflying. We were also affected by this and flew back to Abuja," the Luftwaffe said.
German Development Minister Svenja Schulze was returning from a visit to Nigeria, which involved political talks with ECOWAS following the announcement of the AES countries' withdrawal from the bloc in early January.
The three military governments cited the regional organization's failure to "provide assistance to our States in the framework of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity."