‘No foreign base in Sokoto’, Border communities counter Nigerien military leader

Some border communities have refuted  claims by the Nigerien Junta leader, Abdurrahman Tchani, that there was a forest called ‘Gaba’, where foreign military established their base in Sokoto state.

Our reporter who visited some of the border communities discovered that such forest didn’t exist anywhere in the state.

Leaders and some of the residents who spoke also denied presence of any foreign military base in their communities.

Sokoto shares border with the Niger Republic through five local government areas which includes Illela, Gada, Tangaza, Gudu and Sabon Birni.

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Historically, some major communities in the country formed part of the defunct Sokoto Caliphate.

The Sarkin Arewan Araba, Alhaji Abubakar Yusufu, a border community in Illela LGA which is less than two meters away from Konni in Niger Republic said there was no a village or forest called Gaba in his domain.

He also debunked the allegation of foreign base establsihed in the area, likening the allegation to a tea joint discussion tantamount of severing the existing relationship between them and their immediate neighbours in Niger Republic.

“There is no such forest in Araba district or Illela local government and we don’t see any foreigner in our villages, it is a tea joint discussion. Instead, it is the Nigerien military operatives that have been coming into our area every night.

“They come and work with our vigilantes in maintaining peace in our surrounding communities,” he said

The district head, however, cautioned the Nigerian leader against making baseless allegation capable of severing both countries’ historic ties.

Another resident of Araba, Malam Muhammadu Danladi, opined that the allegation was meant to smear the image of our country.

“It is a lie, there is not presence of foreigners in our community. It is just a mere allegation which is unfounded,” he said

He, however, decried what he called a targeted harassment on Nigerians by the Nigerien security operatives in the last six months.

“Their security operatives at the border areas have been harassing our people, seizing their goods for just no cause. But their people are enjoying free access into our country. They have been coming to buy goods and leave and nobody is harassing them. We want our government to do something about this,” he said

Corroborating this, Muhammad, a commercial motorcyclist who take passengers and goods to Konni, also denied noticing presence of foreigners in their communities, just as he lamented the inhuman treatment allegedly being meted on them by the Nigerien security operatives.

It was similar denial at Tabanni Siddi in Gada LGA as residents said neither Gaba forest nor foreign base was established in the community and even its environs.