The US has agreed to sell military equipment worth $997m (E763m) to nigeria, which has been battling jihadists in the north as well as the Sahel, following the approval of the US State Department. The weapons include12 attack helicopters and numerous Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets. The Nigerian government had requested the equipment which would help to improve security in Sub-Saharan Africa in line with US foreign policy goals and shared security objectives, a statement from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. According to the statement, Nigeria will have no difficulty in acquiring the weapons, but the process is expected to take at least five years.
It will include training Nigerian military personnel on how to use the equipment and on human rights, to avoid bringing harm to civilians.
Nigeria is battling serious violence by extremist groups including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), as well as worsening attacks by armed criminal gangs and bandits who perpetrate killings and kidnappings for ransom.
This is the second major arms sale to Nigeria by the US in five years.
The US had previously rejected Nigeria's request for military equipment due to human rights concerns during the administration of Barack Obama. However, in 2017 the Trump administration agreed to sell 12 Super Tucano planes to Nigeria, which were delivered last year.
Source: BBC