Remarks
» I saw this small bird in the garden just near the river Niger.
It's a European Reed Warbler - nominate ssp, and the primary projection rules out baeticatus as it's roughly the length of the tertials - would be half this on the African bird. Second pic confirms nicely by showing length of second primary - v long, equal in length to the 4th or 5th - baeticatus would be shorter, equal 8th or 9th.