Nigeria awaits 10 attack helicopters, UAVs — Defence Minister

ABUJA — Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other military equipment to strengthen its capacity to tackle emerging security threats, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), has said.

Musa disclosed this when he received the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Gautier Mignot, and his delegation at Ship House, Abuja.

The meeting focused on bilateral defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU, as well as a proposed €20 million assistance package for the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the European Peace Facility.

In a statement by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Mignot commended Nigeria’s defence leadership and invited Musa to a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels later in the year.

The minister said the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, on which more than 50 million people depend, remained a potential source of instability.

He added that denying terrorists access to their strongholds on islands in Lake Chad remained a key operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

Musa thanked the EU for its continued support for Nigeria and assured the ambassador of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and property and promoting national development.

He said relative peace was gradually returning to parts of the country through the efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

However, he acknowledged that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities persisted, adding that security agencies were working to address the threats.

On the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, the minister stressed that its implementation should prioritise victims of the conflict, including affected military personnel.

Mignot disclosed that an EU technical delegation would visit Abuja in November to agree on the details for delivering the proposed assistance.

He also commended a recent conference of former and serving MNJTF force commanders, which was attended by representatives of the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.