US lawmakers stop $875m arms sale to Nigeria over human rights violations
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Some United States lawmakers have halted the planned sale of arms worth $875 million to Nigeria over concerns about the President Muhammadu Buhari’s-led government’s human rights record.
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But security sources have said the Federal Government was not bothered by the stance of the US lawmakers saying Nigeria had complied with all necessary agreement indices reached on government-to-government basis with the US.
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A report in Foreign Policy, said Senate foreign relations committee comprising both Democrats and Republicans have delayed clearing a proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military.
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According to the report, the lawmakers’ opposition was based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s perceived human rights abuse and the #Endsars protests of 2020 that ended in crisis and banditry.
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The report said the proposed arms 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.
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The report said behind-the-scenes controversy over the proposed arms sale illustrates a broader debate among Washington policymakers over how to balance national security with human rights objectives.
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According to the report, despite the battle against Boko Haram insurgents, western governments and international human rights organisations are being critical of the Buhari-led administration over the Twitter ban, systemic corruption issues, and the invasion of Lekki tollgate by soldiers during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020. #news