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Nigeria Rejects Niger Leader’s Claims of Plotting with France to Destabilize the Country
The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly dismissed claims made by Niger Republic’s military leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, in a viral video accusing Nigeria and France of plotting to destabilize Niger.
According to the Nigerian government, these allegations are purely fictional and lack any factual basis.
Nigeria has never collaborated with France or any other nation to support terrorist activities or undermine the peace and stability of Niger, even amid the political upheaval in the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his capacity as ECOWAS Chairman, has continued to advocate for peaceful engagement with Niger despite the current political tensions.
The Nigerian Armed Forces, working alongside the Multinational Joint Task Force, have made significant progress in combating terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and beyond.
Therefore, accusations of Nigeria conspiring to destabilize Niger appear not only baseless but also contradictory to its proven efforts toward regional peace.
The Nigerian government also refuted claims of ceding any part of its territory to foreign powers for subversive activities against Niger.
Nigeria has consistently upheld its sovereignty, rejecting the establishment of foreign military bases on its soil and demonstrating independence in its foreign policy.
Initiatives such as the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline and the Kano-Maradi Railway Project highlight Nigeria’s long-standing support for Niger’s economic growth.
Suggesting sabotage of such joint efforts undermines logic and disregards Nigeria’s active role in promoting regional development.
Nigeria has invested heavily in combating terrorism, as evidenced by recent military operations such as Operation Forest Sanity III and the newly launched Operation Chase Lakurawa Out, aimed at addressing terrorist threats in the region.
The Nigerian government has urged the public to disregard these unfounded allegations, emphasizing that General Tchiani must provide credible evidence to back his claims.
Such accusations appear to be an attempt to deflect attention from internal challenges in Niger and undermine ECOWAS’s stance against unconstitutional power seizures in the region.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reportedly declared a strike at Taraba State University over outstanding salary-related demands and delays in payments.
The strike is scheduled to begin today, October 12, 2026. According to the union’s chairman, the union had been engaging the Taraba State Government over its outstanding demands since February 2026.
“The union had exercised considerable patience and demonstrated its commitment to dialogue since February 2026, when it began engaging the Taraba State Government over the outstanding issues,” Mbave said.
“The union had earlier suspended its planned industrial action following an appeal by the government for additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, in the interest of maintaining industrial harmony,” the chairman added.
The Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Torseer Yina, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the ancient town.
The curfew takes effect from Thursday, October 8, 2026, following unrest and violent protests in the area.
According to reports, the action was taken to contain the unrest and violent protests by members of BEMOA following the death of one of its members by unknown gunmen.
The protest, which was reportedly hijacked by hoodlums, turned violent after an angry mob burnt two vehicles belonging to the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
The Gboko council chairman said the curfew takes effect immediately and warned that anyone caught flouting the order or breaching public peace would be decisively dealt with.
Nine people have died in a fatal road crash along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway in Ogun State.
The crash occurred on Monday at about 4:55pm around the Bethel area along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore axis of the expressway. It involved a white Toyota Hiace commercial bus belonging to Delta Line and a white Sino truck operated by Bill Gas Solution Ltd.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), all nine people involved in the crash, comprising three males and six females, died in the incident.
The FRSC said the crash occurred while it was raining and the road was wet, with preliminary investigations identifying speed violation as the probable cause.
The FRSC rescue team arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the report, while the bodies of the victims were taken to the General Hospital Morgue in Ijebu-Ode.
The Ogun State Sector Commander, Oludare Ogunjobi, urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to obey speed limits and exercise extra caution when driving in the rain.
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