January 05, (THEWILL) – In what seemed like another dimension to Niger Republic’s allegations against its southern neighbour, Nigeria, the country’s military Head of State, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, in an interview with state media Radio-Télévision du Niger (RTN) on Christmas Day, accused President Bola Tinubu of conniving with France to destabilise Niger.
Tchiani claimed that France had established a military base in Nigeria where it was arming terrorists hiding around the Lake Chad region to carry out attacks in Nigerien territory.
“The Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move. It is near a forest close to Sokoto where they wanted to establish a terrorist stronghold known as Lakurawas,” the Nigerien leader said, clearly betraying his ignorance and a lack of accuracy in his claim. Apparently he was unaware that Lakurawas is one of the terrorist groups that the Nigerian military is battling to eliminate.
The Federal Government of Nigeria responded through its Information minister Mohammed Idris who described the allegations as “baseless” and existing “solely in the realm of imagination.”
Idris’ defence of his country suggested that the Nigerien Head of State got it all wrong when he claimed President Tinubu was colluding with France to destabilise Niger Republic. “Nigeria has a long-standing tradition of safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Unlike some nations, Nigeria has never permitted foreign powers to establish military bases on its soil. This demonstrates our commitment to national independence and regional leadership,” he said.
Besides, given Nigeria’s enormous image as its brothers’ keeper across Africa, it is difficult to imagine and accept that it would ever contemplate teaming up with a foreign country to destabilise Niger Republic, of all countries, with which it shares a border and a healthy relationship lasting several decades.
It seems that Tchiani has forgotten too soon that since Independence in 1960, the two countries have pursued close relations. Each side has based diplomatic relations upon non-interference in the internal affairs of the other. During the Nigerian Civil War, a former President of Niger, Hamani Diori was an active mediator in the conflict. There have been no serious border conflicts.
Both countries have even carried out a joint military campaign to rid their borders of the menace of insurgents and fight insecurity.
However, Gen Tchiani’s allegations have worsened diplomatic tensions with Nigeria, already strained since the 2023 military coup that ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum.
It is important to note that the current Nigerien leadership became ill-disposed toward Nigeria after the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, chaired by Nigeria’s President Tinubu, imposed economic sanctions on Niger and threatened military intervention if constitutional order was not restored.
The same sub-regional body came to Nigeria’s defence recently. Refuting Niger’s allegations in a statement, ECOWAS said, “For years, Nigeria has supported peace and security of several countries not only in the West African subregion but also on the African continent.” It waved away any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country would become a state sponsor of terrorism.
As Niger’s claims continue to attract criticism and condemnation, two prominent northern groups, the Arewa Youths Coalition for Peace and Political Development and the Northern Elders Progressives Group, have demanded an apology from Tchiani over his allegation that Nigeria is colluding with France to destabilise the country.
The groups described the allegations as capable of overheating the polity in Nigeria and Niger Republic, which have a long history of friendship and cooperation.
“We reject in totality, the recent allegations made by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Military Head of Niger Republic against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of conniving with France to destabilise his country. These are baseless allegations capable of overheating the polity in our country,” the groups stated in a communique, released by Convener of the 8th joint meeting of the groups, Yusuf Abubakar, in Kaduna on Thursday.
The groups also called on the military ruler of the Niger Republic to tender an immediate apology to Nigeria and stop creating tension between the two countries.
“We call on the President of the Niger Republic to tender an immediate apology to Nigeria and stop creating the tension of disunity between the two-brotherly nations that have a common historical understanding, unity and regard for each other,” the communique stated.
We believe that the request to tender unreserved apology to Nigeria, whose image has been so undeservingly denigrated, is in good order. More so, it is obvious that General Tchiani’s claims were the products of either misinformation or outright mischief borne out of pure malice.
