National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Ekpenyong Emmanuel
Residents of border communities in Sokoto State have categorically denied the presence of French military personnel in their areas. The denial comes in response to allegations made by the Head of the Military Junta in the Niger Republic, who claimed that the French Army was present in the region and collaborating with the Nigerian government to attack Niger.
Traditional rulers, community leaders, and residents of Tangaza and Gudu local government areas, which share borders with Niger Republic, have all dismissed the allegations as baseless. Alhaji Aminu Aliyu, the Traditional Ruler of Balle in Gudu local government area, stated that his subjects had not reported any foreign military presence in the area.
According to Aliyu, his people are engaged in various agricultural and business activities, and if there were any foreign military camps in the area, he would have been informed. Other community leaders, including Malam Abdurahman Shehu and Malam Kabiru Muhammad, also corroborated Aliyu’s statement, saying that they had not seen any French military personnel in the area.
Residents of Ruwa-wuri community in Tangaza local government area, including a commercial motorcyclist named Ibrahim and the chairman of Ruwa-wuri cattle market, Ibrahim Mutolib, also denied the presence of French military personnel. They stated that they had been living and conducting business in the area for years and had never seen any foreign military personnel.
The residents’ denials contradict the claims made by the Niger Republic’s Military Junta leader, who had accused Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and some leaders of his administration of colluding with the French Army to attack Niger.
