Nigeria has rejected accusations by Niger's military leader, Brigadier General Abdurrahman Chiani, of conspiring with France to destabilize the junta-led nation.
In an interview on Christmas Day, General Ciani accused France of allying with armed groups in the Lake Chad region to undermine Niger's security, allegedly with the knowledge of Nigeria.
“Nigerian authorities are unaware of this dastardly move,” General Chiani was quoted as saying by AFP.
In response, Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, told BBC Hausa that the allegations were “baseless” and “false”.
Mr Ribadu said Nigeria would never “sabotage Niger or allow any calamity to befall it”.
Nigeria's information minister, Mohammed Idris, said the allegations were baseless and “a diversionary tactic aimed at covering up the failures of his administration”.
“These claims exist only 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.
Idris also denied sabotaging Niger's pipeline and agriculture, which he was accused of.
General Chiani's claims worsened diplomatic tensions with Nigeria, already strained after the 2023 military coup that ousted former president Mohammed Bazoom.
West Africa's regional bloc Ecowas, led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, has imposed economic sanctions on Niger and threatened military intervention if constitutional order is not restored.
Ecowas came to Nigeria's defense in a statement on Thursday, denying the allegations.
“Nigeria has for years supported the peace and security of several countries not only in the West African sub-region but also on the African continent,” the regional bloc said in a statement issued on Thursday.
“Ecowas therefore rejects any suggestion that such a generous and magnanimous country would become a state sponsor of terrorism,” it said.
two weeks ago Ecowas approved the withdrawal of three military states, including Nigerafter they refused to restore democratic rule.
After the coup, Niger called on France and other Western powers to withdraw their military bases and formed a security alliance with junta-led neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso.