BY IBRAHIM ABDULHAMID, DECEMBER 16, 2024, 5:37 PM
Nigeria Army has issued a statement refuting claims by some Nigerians of a plan to establish a French military base in Northern Nigeria by the Nigerian Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The statement released this afternoon, accused Mahdi Shehu, who posted the claim on X, of spreading falsehood and thus dismissed it as entirely baseless.
Read full statement:
RE - CLAIMS OF FRANCE MILITARY BASE IN (MAIDUGURI) NORTH EAST THEATRE
The attention of Headquarters Theatre Command Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), has been drawn to a false narrative by a social media activist, Mahdi Shehu on his X handle, where he claims establishment of French Military Base in Nigeria, particularly Maiduguri North East Nigeria. He corroborated his baseless claim, with a video clip showing the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army flanked by a foreign military officer as being French Military.
The fact is, there is no French military Base in Maiduguri and there is no intention whatsoever to establish any French military base in the North East Theatre of Operation. The purported video is a clip showing the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army Brigadier General Abubakar Haruna granting audience to pressmen, flanked by a member of the British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT), after the donation of equipment to OPHK by BMATT, recieved by the Theatre Commander Major General Waidi Shaibu on 25 October 2024 at Maimalari Cantonment Maiduguri, Borno State.
Furthermore, a long-lasting military partnership and collaboration exist between Defence Headquarters and BMATT. Such collaboration has seen the provision of training support and the donation of C-IED equipment in recent times to help fight the menace of IED in the North East Theatre of Operation.
The cheap claims made by Shehu Mahdi are baseless misrepresentation and a deliberate attempt to cause misinformation through photo shopping with malicious intent to deceive, manipulate and influence public opinion. Such antics by unscrupulous individuals are aimed at misleading and insighting well meaning Nigerians just to score cheap popularity. The public is therefore urged to discountenance such falsehoods and continue to internalise verified information
REUBEN KOVANGIYA Captain Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations
Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.
Alternatively, you can also email us on
info@yen.ng or message us
via +234 803 931 7767
