Nigeria has rejected accusations from Niger's military leader, Brigadier General Abdourahmane Tchiani, claiming the country collaborated with France to destabilize Niger's junta-led government. In an interview on Christmas Day, General Tchiani alleged that France, with Nigeria's knowledge, was working with militant groups in the Lake Chad region to weaken Niger's security.

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"Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move," General Tchiani was quoted as saying by AFP. In response, Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, told BBC Hausa that the accusations were "baseless" and "false." Ribadu stated that Nigeria would never "sabotage Niger or allow any disaster to befall it.

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" Nigeria's Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the allegations as groundless and labeled them 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 destabilize Niger Republic," Idris said.

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Idris also denied the accusations of sabotaging Niger's pipeline and agriculture. Tchiani's allegations have worsened the already tense diplomatic relations with Nigeria, which have been strained since the 2023 military coup that removed former president Mohamed Bazoum.

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West Africa's regional bloc, Ecowas, led by Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, imposed economic sanctions on Niger and threatened military action if constitutional order wasn't restored. Ecowas came to Nigeria's defense on Thursday, issuing a statement rejecting the claims.

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"For years, Nigeria has supported peace and security in several countries not only in the West African subregion but also on the African continent," the regional body said in a statement on Thursday. "Ecowas therefore refutes any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country would become a state sponsor of terrorism," it read.

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Two weeks ago, Ecowas approved the withdrawal of three military-led countries, including Niger, after they refused to restore democratic rule. Since the coup, Niger has called on France and other Western powers to pull out their military bases and has formed a security alliance with junta-led neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso.

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