By Abiola Olawale
France has officially dismissed the claims that it has an agreement with the Nigerian government to allow an establishment of a French military base on its territory to allegedly destabilize Niger.
The French government made this response amidst heightened tensions following an earlier military coup in Niger and the subsequent withdrawal of French troops from the country.
Following the coup, Nigerien military leader Abdourahamane Tchiani alleged that France was planning to destabilize Niger by using neighboring Benin and Nigeria as staging grounds for attacks, respectively.
Tchiani, had during an interview with TRT Hausa, also accused France of negotiating with terrorist groups in Nigeria to undermine his country, alleging that France made a “substantial payment to President Bola Tinubu” to establish a military base in Nigeria.
“They (France) met and negotiated with Boko Haram home, the Lakurawa group” Tchiani claimed.
However, Bertrand de Seissan, the Political Counsellor at the French Embassy in Nigeria, who spoke with the press declared that the allegations are false and baseless.
“This claim is baseless. It has never been discussed, nor suggested by either France or Nigeria,” de Seissan stated.
This also comes after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, described the accusations as baseless, emphasizing that Nigeria would neither permit foreign military bases on its soil nor engage in actions that could destabilize neighboring regions.
