Niger State
Niger or Niger State is a state in Central Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State. It is home to Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, two of Nigeria's former military rulers. The Nupe, Gbagyi, Kamuku, Kambari, Dukawa, Hausa and Koro form the majority of numerous indigenous tribes of Niger State.
National Guard of Niger
The National Guard was first created in 1963 as the Republican Guard under the presidency of President Diori Hamani. Due to its loyalty to President Hamani, following the 1974 coup by President Seyni Kountche, it was restructured to ensure loyalty to Seyni Kountche. During those years, the guard was primarily tasked of protecting the president and was made up of elite soldiers trained by Moroccan officers. After the 1995 peace agreements between the government of Niger and the Touareg rebel groups, it was restructured and renamed to "Forces Nationales d'Interventions and Securite (FNIS)". Ex-rebel members were reinserted into this body as per the terms of the peace agreements. Previously under the authority of Ministry of Defense, the national guard was transferred under the authority of the Ministry of Interior in 2003. Faithful to their tradition, the National Guard remained loyal to President Tandja Mamadou in his attempt to prolong his presidency beyond the constitutional limits of his term. Later, during the 2010 military coup, the National Guard unsuccessfully defended President Tandja Mamadou. In 2010 and 2011, several government decrees and ordonances proceeded to its reorganization and renaming to the National Guard of Niger.