Niger Republic has boldly denied receiving 10 vehicles worth N1.15 billion which was allegedly said to have been purchased by the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s government .
Earlier, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, on Wednesday, August 3, disclosed the approval for the purchase and supply of 10 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle SUVs to the Niger Republic by the Federal Government .
According to her, “It is not the first time that Nigeria is giving support to neighboring countries such as – Niger, Cameroon or Chad. She added that the President also makes proper assessment as to what is required, based on the request of President of the neighboring countries before the requests are approved.
This sort of interventions provided is to build up their capacity to protect their own territory as it relates to security also to Nigeria,” Ahmed had said.
However, the Nigerien Minister of Defence, Alkassoum Indatou, Standing in and speaking on behalf of the President of the Niger Republic, dismissed the claim, adding that the country only received 5 vehicles from the Zamfara State government.
“The state of Zamfara which has given five vehicles to the Maradi region, four of which have already been received, it is not the federal government as the Minister of Finance of Nigeria Zainab Ahmed declared,” said a translation of the French statement of a top Nigerien official familiar with the matter.
“The populations of Zamfara who are on the border with Niger call more on the Nigerien soldiers who respond to the minute than even those of their own country.”