France has rejected as “baseless” the accusation from Niger Republic that Nigeria has allowed France to use its territory to destabilize the former French colony. Bertrand de Seissan, the Political Counsellor at the French Embassy in Nigeria, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, describing the allegation as unfounded. “It has never been discussed or suggested by either France or Nigeria,” de Seissan stated. These comments came in response to claims from Nigerien military leader Abdourahamane Tchiani, who accused France of attempting to destabilize Niger by using Benin and Nigeria as bases for attacks. In an interview with TRT Hausa, Tchiani also alleged that France was negotiating with terrorist groups in Nigeria to weaken his country, claiming that France made a “substantial payment to President Bola Tinubu” to set up a military base in Nigeria. “They (France) met and negotiated with Boko Haram and the Lakurawa group,” Tchiani asserted.
