Nigeria has denied accusations from Niger’s navy chief, Brig Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, of colluding with France to destabilise the junta-led country.
In a Christmas Day interview, Gen Tchiani accused France of allying with militant teams within the Lake Chad area to undermine Niger’s safety, allegedly with Nigeria’s wisdom.
“Nigerian government don’t seem to be ignorant of this underhanded transfer,” Gen Tchiani was once quoted as pronouncing via AFP.
In reaction, Nigeria’s Nationwide Safety Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, informed BBC Hausa that the allegations had been “baseless” and “false”.
Mr Ribadu mentioned Nigeria would by no means “sabotage Niger or permit any crisis to befall it”.
Nigeria’s Knowledge Minister, Mohammed Idris, mentioned the allegations had been unfounded and a “diversionary tactic aimed toward masking his management’s disasters”.
“Those claims exist only within the realm of creativeness. Nigeria hasn’t ever engaged in any alliance, overt or covert, with France — or some other nation — to destabilise Niger Republic,” Idris mentioned.
Idris additionally denied sabotaging Niger’s pipeline and agriculture, which it was once accused of.
Gen Tchiani’s allegations have worsened diplomatic tensions with Nigeria, already strained for the reason that 2023 navy coup that ousted ex-president Mohamed Bazoum.
West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, led via Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, imposed financial sanctions on Niger and threatened navy intervention if constitutional order was once no longer restored.
Ecowas got here to Nigeria’s defence in a commentary on Thursday refuting the claims.
“For years, Nigeria has supported peace and safety of a number of nations no longer simplest within the West African subregion but additionally at the African continent,” the regional bloc mentioned in a commentary shared on Thursday.
“Ecowas due to this fact refutes any recommendation that this type of beneficiant and magnanimous nation would turn into a state sponsor of terrorism,” it learn.
Two weeks in the past, Ecowas authorized the withdrawal of 3 military-led nations, together with Niger, once they refused to revive democratic rule.
Because the coup, Niger has steered France and different Western powers to withdraw their navy bases and shaped a safety alliance with junta-led neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.
