The United States has approved the sale of advanced attack helicopters worth about $1billion to Nigeria.
This was announced by the State Department on Thursday saying that the approval of the $997 million sale of 24 Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters and related equipment to Nigeria.
According to Daily Mail, the helicopter will be coming in with equipments like, guidance, night vision and targeting systems as well as engines and training support, the department said in a notice to Congress.
The sale was said to have taken place in November 2021 after a visit to Abuja by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during which he raised concerns about Nigeria´s rights record.
At the time, though, Blinken also made clear that the United States regards Nigeria as a partner in combating terrorism and Islamic extremism in West Africa and the Sahel, a region along the Sahara Desert stretching across North Africa, and is looking to increase cooperation with it in those areas.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the department told Congress.
The deal will also “better equip Nigeria to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability and build interoperability with the U.S. and other Western partners” and “will be a major contribution to U.S. and Nigerian security goals,” the notice said.
