The League of Northern Democrats (LND) has rejected the Federal Government’s response to accusations made by the military ruler of Niger Republic.

The Nigerien leader had alleged that high-ranking Nigerian officials were linked to Boko Haram insurgents, who were reportedly being armed and funded by France.

The spokesperson for the LND, Dr. Ladan Salihu, issued a statement in Abuja, on Friday stating that the Nigerian government’s response to the accusations was insufficient and raised more questions than answers. He particularly criticized the government’s failure to address France’s history of destabilizing regions for access to natural resources.

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“A close examination of the government’s denial reveals significant gaps in logic and credibility,” Salihu said. He added that while the government denied collusion with France to destabilize Niger, France’s documented role in Africa supporting insurgencies casts doubt on this dismissal.

Salihu further questioned how Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents were able to acquire sophisticated weapons, including drones, which are typically only accessible through state-sponsored channels or illicit global arms networks. He demanded to know who was facilitating these supplies and why the government had failed to curtail these networks for nearly two decades.

He also noted that President Tinubu’s leadership as ECOWAS Chairman had been contradicted by growing tensions within the organization. Several ECOWAS member states had severed ties with France, with three nations even leaving the regional body. He argued that Nigeria’s support for ECOWAS sanctions and military action against Niger had only worsened the situation, causing suffering among ordinary Nigeriens and straining bilateral relations.

Salihu criticized the government’s stance against foreign military bases, pointing out that this did not address the central issue: the presence of advanced weaponry in the hands of insurgents. He questioned why Nigeria, if truly independent in its security operations, had been unable to intercept these networks or identify their sources.

While the government pointed to joint projects like the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline and the Kano-Maradi Railway as evidence of its commitment to Niger’s development, Salihu noted that these initiatives had faced delays and controversies, often attributed to regional instability.

He also dismissed the government’s denial of a “Lakurawa terrorist headquarters” in Sokoto State, citing the documented presence of insurgent strongholds within Nigeria. He argued that initiatives like Operation Forest Sanity III had yet to deliver lasting results, raising questions about either the government’s capacity or possible complicity in the ongoing terrorism.