The Nigerian Army has dismissed social media claims suggesting the presence of a French military base in Borno State, labelling the reports as false and misleading.
This follows a statement by activist Mahdi Shehu, who shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) alleging French military involvement in the Lake Chad region. In response, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Capt. Reuben Kovangiya, clarified that the officer seen in the video alongside Brigadier General Abubakar Haruna was a member of the British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT), not the French military.
The incident occurred during a donation of equipment to Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) on October 25, 2024. Capt. Kovangiya emphasized that there is no plan to establish a French military base in the North East, while reaffirming Nigeria’s longstanding collaboration with BMATT, which continues to provide training and equipment to combat threats such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the region.
The Army urged the public to disregard the claims and avoid spreading unverified information.
