Head of Niger Republic junta Brigadier General Abdourahmane Tchiani, has doubled down on accusations by his government Nigeria was colluding with France to destabilise his country.
In a Christmas Day interview, Gen Tchiani accused France of allying with militant groups in the Lake Chad region to undermine Niger’s security, allegedly with Nigeria’s knowledge.
“Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move,” Gen Tchiani was quoted as saying by AFP.
But Nuhu Ribadu who is Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, told BBC Hausa that the allegations were “baseless” and “false”.
“These claims exist solely in the realm of imagination. Nigeria has never engaged in any alliance, overt or covert, with France — or any other country — to destabilise Niger Republic,” Ribadu said.
West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, led by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, imposed economic sanctions on Niger and threatened military intervention if constitutional order was not restored.
Ecowas came to Nigeria’s defence in a statement on Thursday refuting the claims.
“For years, Nigeria has supported peace and security of several countries not only in the West African subregion but also on the African continent,” the regional bloc said in a statement shared on Thursday.
“Ecowas therefore refutes any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country would become a state sponsor of terrorism,” it read.
