Nigeria has denied accusations from Niger’s army chief, Brig Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, of colluding with France to destabilise the junta-led public.

In a Christmas Life interview, Gen Tchiani accused France of allying with militant teams within the Puddle Chad patch to undermine Niger’s safety, allegedly with Nigeria’s wisdom.

“Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move,” Gen Tchiani was once quoted as pronouncing by way of AFP.

In reaction, Nigeria’s Nationwide Safety Helper, Nuhu Ribadu, instructed BBC Hausa that the allegations had been “baseless” and “false”.

Mr Ribadu stated Nigeria would by no means “sabotage Niger or allow any disaster to befall it”.

Nigeria’s Knowledge Minister, Mohammed Idris, stated the allegations had been unfounded and a “diversionary tactic aimed at covering his administration’s failures”.

“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,” Idris stated.

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 because the 2023 army coup that ousted ex-president Mohamed Bazoum.

West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, led by way of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, imposed financial sanctions on Niger and threatened army intervention if constitutional form 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 security of several countries not only in the West African subregion but also on the African continent,” the regional bloc stated in a commentary shared on Thursday.

“Ecowas therefore refutes any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country would become a state sponsor of terrorism,” it learn.

Two weeks in the past, Ecowas licensed the withdrawal of 3 military-led nations, together with Niger, nearest they refused to revive democratic rule.

For the reason that coup, Niger has steered France and alternative Western powers to draw out their army bases and shaped a safety alliance with junta-led neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.