U.S. Lawmakers Thwart Proposed Arms Sale to Nigeria Amid Human Rights Concerns
- Senators in the United States of America have pressured President Joe Biden to reassess U.S.-Nigeria relations
- The senators are said to be concerned about human rights concerns, especially regarding Nigerian military operations
- The lawmakers have gone ahead to thwart the proposed sale of attack helicopters and other ammunition to the Nigerian government
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Washington - A report by Foreign Policy indicates that U.S. l are holding a proposed sale of attack helicopters to Nigeria.
According to the report, the senators took the action amid mounting concerns about the Nigerian government’s human rights record.
The report revealed that the US Senate foreign relations committee has delayed clearing a proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and accompanying defense systems to the Nigerian military.
Source: Getty Images
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Inside details of the thwarted deal
The deal is said to be worth some $875 million, according to top U.S. officials and congressional aides.
In addition to the helicopters, the proposed sale included 28 helicopter engines produced by GE Aviation, 14 military-grade aircraft navigation systems made by Honeywell, and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systems—laser-guided rocket munitions.
Nigerian Civilian Deaths in Military Custody
In December 2020, Amnesty Internation stated that at least ten thousand civilians have died in Nigerian military custody since 2011.
The report cites Giwa Barracks, a particularly sordid prison in Maiduguri, Borno state as one of the places where these civilian deaths occur frequently.
Recall that last week, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) announced that the first batch of six Super Tucano aircraft ordered from the US has arrived in the country.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the director of NAF public relations and information, made this known on Thursday, July 22.
Air Commodore Gabkwet said an official induction ceremony of the aircraft into the inventory of the NAF is already being planned.
Earlier in the month, Air Commodore Gabkwwt announced that the 6 aircraft departed the US on Wednesday, July 14 en route to Nigeria.
A statement sent to Legit.ng by the spokesman of the NAF, on Thursday, July 15 noted that the 6 aircraft will be leapfrogged through 5 countries.
He said the countries are Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Algeria before arriving at their final destination in Nigeria towards the end of July 2021.
Source: Legit.ng
