Former Senator for Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has rejected the claim made by Nigerien military leader General Abdourahamane Tchiani that President Bola Tinubu was complicit in the formation of the Lakurawa terrorist organization.
Sani described the allegation as baseless and firmly stated that such a terrorist group could not be harboured in Nigeria.
Tchiani, in an interview with Radio-Télévision du Niger, accused President Tinubu of collaborating with France to destabilize Niger Republic.
He further alleged that the Lakurawa group, with the assistance of foreign security forces, including those from Nigeria, was responsible for the attack on the Niger-Benin oil pipeline in Gaya, Dosso Region, on December 13, 2024.
In response, Sani called for cooperation between the Nigerian and Nigerien governments in addressing terrorism. He posted on social media, asserting that the accusation made by the President of Niger regarding Nigeria’s involvement in the creation of the Lakurawa group lacked any credible basis. Sani pointed out that Nigeria, a country that has endured over a decade of terrorism and violence, could never harbor such a group.
He dismissed the claims as “wild conjectures” and an “imaginary conspiracy theory,” emphasizing that they were unsupported by evidence. Sani concluded by urging both Nigeria and Niger to join forces in combating terrorism and addressing the common threats facing both nations.
Posting on X, he wrote: “The specific claim made by the President of Niger Republic about the complicity of Nigeria in the formation of the Lakurawa terrorist group is baseless.
“For a country whose people have suffered over a decade of kidnappings and bloodshed at the hands of terrorists and are still fighting, it’s inconceivable that such a terrorist group could ever be harbored here.
“Niger’s President’s claims are wild conjectures, hollow, superstitious, and an imaginary conspiracy theory lacking any credible evidence.
“The way forward is for Niger and Nigeria to work together in confronting and extinguishing the common threats.”
