The US State Department has flatly denied a newspaper report that alleged President Barrack Obama is preparing American troops for a “special intervention” in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by the State Department, it said “we have done nothing to suggest that our concerns are only based on our desire to retain it as a source of dependable oil production.”
Making reference to the said publication, the State Department press officer of African Affairs, Russel Brooks, added: “The Nigerian Compass newspaper says it bases its story on comments by the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) chief, General William Ward.
“The Compass says Mr. Obama would send troops to Nigeria if the country broke up and widespread chaos threatened oil production.”
But Brooks described the story “In a word, flabbergasted. This story is a complete fabrication.
“There are no U.S. troops being prepared to intervene in Nigeria. We have checked with AFRICOM and General Ward has made no such statement,” he said.
Brooks said had the Compass reporter checked his facts, “he would have learned that, in fact, there are no troops assigned to AFRICOM for them to put on alert.”
The press officer said the “fabrication…is made up from speculation about concerns that the U.S. may have about the situation in Nigeria.”