A human rights activist, Mahdi Shehu, had, in a post on Saturday, criticised the government for denying the development.
In a video-accompanied post, Shehu claimed that some French military officers had arrived in Borno State as part of the process to set up the base.
The post partly read, “Last week, the Chief of Defence Staff denied any plan to establish French military bases in Nigeria.
“Yesterday, the Chief of Army Staff received the first contingent of French soldiers and immediately deployed them to Maiduguri to ‘HELP NIGERIA IN FIGHTING BOKO HARAM.’ The same Boko Haram they claimed to have decimated and are scampering for safety.
“Before the blinking of an eye, a FRANCE military base will be physically seen in Maiduguri, perhaps before the new year, so that they will ‘FIGHT’ Boko Haram and begin to explore and prospect huge mineral resources and surely begin to exploit, harass, intimidate, kill, incapacitate, and annihilate the local people, which is typical of France’s presence in Africa.”
DHQ challenges Amnesty International to prove allegations against military
Reacting in a statement on Monday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba dismissed the claim as fake and mischievous.
He stated, “The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to online reports alleging the arrival of the first contingent of French soldiers in Maiduguri towards establishing a French military base in North-East Nigeria.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby state unequivocally that this information is fake, totally false, and mischievous.
It would be recalled that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, recently addressed this matter in various media forums, where he debunked such news and speculations.
“Accordingly, the general public is urged to disregard these claims and speculations still circulating in some quarters. It is clear that these are the antics of mischief makers.
“Nevertheless, the military will continue to carry out its constitutional responsibilities most professionally and ensure the territorial integrity of our nation. Kindly disseminate, please.”
By Solomon Odeniyi @ThePUNCH
