Mr Ribadu said Nigeria would never “sabotage Niger and allow any disaster to befall it”.
Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, said the allegations were baseless and were “a diversionary tactic aimed at covering up the mistakes of his administration”.
“These claims exist solely in the realm of imagination. Nigeria has never entered into any alliance, open or covert, with France — or any other country — to destabilize the Republic of Niger,” Idris said.
Idris also denied sabotaging the pipeline and Niger’s agriculture, which he was accused of.
General Chiani’s accusations have exacerbated diplomatic tensions with Nigeria, already tense since the 2023 military coup that ousted ex-president Mohammed Bazum.
The West African 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.
On Thursday, Ecowas came to Nigeria’s defense, denying the claims.
“For many years, Nigeria has 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.
“Therefore, Ecowas refutes 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-led countries, including Nigerafter they refused to restore the democratic regime.
After the coup, Niger called on France and other Western powers to withdraw their military bases and formed a security alliance with the neighboring junta of Mali and Burkina Faso.
