Gambiaj.com – (NIAMEY, NIGER) – A Nigerien police inspector has alleged that individuals linked to Benin’s intelligence services sought to locate and secretly remove Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, the alleged leader of the failed December 2025 coup attempt in Benin, from Niger’s capital, Niamey.
The allegations were broadcast on Friday, October 23, by Niger’s state television, RTN, in a recorded testimony by police inspector Habibou Oumarou Mamane. He claimed that the operation was organized through contacts in Benin and involved promises of financial rewards and official appointments for those who helped execute it.
The testimony raises fresh questions about the whereabouts of Tigri and whether people linked to Beninese authorities were aware of his suspected presence in Niger. However, the broadcast does not independently establish that Benin’s government was involved in the alleged operation or confirm Tigri’s current location.
Alleged payments and promises of rewards
Mamane said he was approached on February 27, 2026, by a man identified as Ange Chekaraou, who allegedly asked him to locate Tigri and arrange his extraction from Niger.
According to the inspector, Chekaraou claimed the mission had been assigned by the director of operations of Benin’s DGDC intelligence service. Mamane said participants were promised 50 million CFA francs, Beninese diplomatic passports, and appointments as special advisers if the operation succeeded.
He said he declined the proposed benefits but offered to identify people capable of carrying out the operation.
Mamane also alleged that five million CFA francs had been provided to Chekaraou to finance the search, but only two million francs were passed on to him. He claimed he collected that amount at Niamey’s Grand Market on March 9.
The inspector further described a meeting in Malanville, Benin, with a man using the name David, who allegedly confirmed sending five million CFA francs to Chekaraou to help locate Tigri and other men believed to be in Niger.
These financial transactions and the alleged links to Beninese intelligence have not been independently verified.
Does The Testimony Suggest Knowledge Of Tigri’s Whereabouts?
The central question raised by Mamane’s account is whether Beninese-linked individuals believed Tigri was in Niger and were actively seeking to locate him there.
His testimony suggests that the alleged operation was directed at finding Tigri and removing him from Niamey. It does not, however, establish that those involved already knew his precise whereabouts or that the Beninese government was directing the operation.
The distinction is important. An alleged attempt to locate a fugitive is not, by itself, proof that a government knows where he is being sheltered. Nor does the testimony establish that Nigerien authorities were aware of Tigri’s presence or had agreed to protect him.
Benin has previously rejected similar accusations. As of the latest reports on the testimony, Cotonou had not issued a new response to the allegations broadcast on Friday.
Fresh Tensions After August Attacks In Niamey
Mamane’s testimony also addressed the security incidents of August 28 and 29, 2026, in Niamey, when gunfire targeted Air Base 101 and other sensitive sites, leaving three members of the Presidential Guard dead, according to the supplied report.
Niger authorities and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) described the incidents as an attempted destabilization. The inspector said he had received inquiries from people seeking information about who was behind the events.
He also recounted an alleged meeting on July 26, 2023, at the National Guard camp to plan the extraction of then-president Mohamed Bazoum, who was overthrown in a military coup two days later.
The latest testimony comes amid continuing tensions between Niger and Benin, whose relations have been strained by security disputes and accusations of interference.
There are also questions about the circumstances in which Mamane’s testimony was recorded. The broadcast did not clarify whether he made the statements voluntarily or under what conditions he was questioned. Reports from Nigerien media also said his family had reported him missing in the days before the broadcast.
The allegations, therefore, add a new dimension to the regional dispute, but independent verification, a response from Benin, and further clarification of Tigri’s whereabouts remain necessary before the claims can be treated as established facts.
Leave a Reply