By MICHELLE FAUL / Associated Press

Nigeria's ambassador to the United States has berated Washington for refusing to sell "lethal weapons" to fight his country's Islamic uprising, saying the extremists otherwise would have been defeated long ago.

Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye said the United States is letting down an old ally in its hour of need, and Nigeria's people and government feel abandoned.

"The U.S. government has up till today refused to grant Nigeria's request to purchase lethal equipment that would have brought down the terrorists within a short time," Adefuye told members of the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations Monday night.

"We find it difficult to understand how and why, in spite of the U.S. presence in Nigeria with their sophisticated military technology, Boko Haram should be expanding and becoming more deadly."

Adefuye said that Washington has refused Nigeria's requests to buy heavy weaponry because of allegations the defense forces have violated the human rights of Boko Haram suspects. It was not possible to get an immediate response from U.S. officials but U.S. laws ban sales of lethal weapons to countries whose military are accused of gross human rights abuses.

Adefuye dismissed the allegations as rumors spread by political opponents as Nigeria prepares for presidential elections in February.

An Associated Press investigation found Nigerian troops responsible for the deaths of thousands of detainees since a state of emergency was imposed in May 2013 in three northeastern states.

In the latest such report, community leaders and family members told AP that soldiers raided poor homes in Potiskum, capital of Yobe state, on Nov. 5 and dragged away young men aged from 18 to 30. Soldiers later dumped 18 bullet-ridden bodies at the hospital mortuary, according to hospital records that identified victims including a tailor, a butcher, a student and a cattle trader.

The military has not responded to requests for comment on that incident.

The killings came two days after a suicide bomber killed 30 people in a procession of moderate Muslims.

On Monday, Potiskum was further terrorized when a suicide bomber killed 48 students at an all-boys high school.

The continued violence comes despite the Nigerian military's claim on Oct. 17 that Boko Haram had agreed to an immediate cease-fire. The militants have denied there is any truce and have responded with more and deadlier attacks. The extremists now control a swath of territory in northeastern Nigeria estimated to cover 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles) along the border with Cameroon. The Nigerian military — badly paid, demoralized and riddled with corruption — has not been able to stop the Islamic militants from seizing more towns and cities.

President Goodluck Jonathan Wednesday declared his government will defeat Boko Haram.

"We must defeat terror," he said before a crowd at an Abuja stadium, announcing that he will run for re-election in February. "We are equipping the armed forces and deploying special forces this time to engage the terrorists and end this senseless war."

He also promised, again, to "get our daughters free," referring to the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in April whose plight has attracted international outrage.

Boko Haram is better equipped than the military, mainly with arms looted from barracks and abandoned by fleeing troops, say governors in the northeastern states, other politicians and soldiers who have deserted the front.

Nigeria has made at least two failed attempts to buy helicopter gunships and other weapons in South Africa. In September, South African customs officials seized $9.3 million in cash flown in on a private jet by two Nigerians and an Israeli. It was a "legitimate arms deal," said PRNigeria, a public relations firm that promotes the Nigerian government.

In October, South Africa froze $5.7 million wired to the account of a South African arms dealer by Nigeria, saying the dealer no longer had a license to export weapons. Nigeria's Senate Defense Committee is investigating.

Local press in Nigeria have quoted security officials saying the country recently took delivery of some attack helicopters from China, but those reports have not been verified.

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Associated Press writer Chika Oduah contributed to this report from Abuja

If the US won't sell arms to nigeria to defeat, this rag heads...why don't we turn to china or russia

I wonder the kind of stvpid ally we are doing with US, an ally that is covertly supporting rag heads...Yet they accuse soldiers of human right violation...

I wonder what BH as been violating since 2002...Yeye ally whose main objective is to invade nigeria...SMH

Story for mami-water. Keep spraying cluelessness and bringing shame on Nigerians just because you are serving under a Zoologist.

egift:
Story for mami-water. Keep spraying cluelessness and bring shame on Nigerians just because you are serving under a Zoologist.

It is too unfortunate that folks like you who claim Nigeria so much have decided to trade Nigeria for political gains.
US is obviously being mischievous and all you do is insult Mr President!
Anyway, just know that when Nigeria finally scatters, and you start looking for whom to blame, add your name on that list.

Nice one from the ambassador,this same americans will go around to provide arms for countries with human rights issues like Eygpt and saudi arabia.WE NEED TO FACE THE EAST

I saw on channels tv "US condemns terrorist attacks in the NE part of Nigeria, and I was like, I thought they refused to sell us fighter jets to defeat this Same terrorism; I just concluded that these people actually know what they are doing. Always carrying bad news of Nigeria on CNN! Let them know that "Nobody or country is beyond God"!


GEJ till 2019

Pavarottii:
I saw on channels tv "US condemns terrorist attacks in the NE part of Nigeria, and I was like, I thought they refused to sell us fighter jets to defeat this Same terrorism; I just concluded that these people actually know what they are doing. Always carrying bad news of Nigeria on CNN! Let them know that "Nobody or country is beyond God"!

GEJ till 2019

They want crises in Africa.

They will only sell arms when it becomes a civil war proper.

Death to America... Oops i mean all terrorists... But how can we be this naive to expect America the undisputed terrorist chief to give us the arms to fight a terror war....

Must they buy from the yanks ni? Russia will be more than happy.i just tire for naija and blame shifting

noblezone:
It is too unfortunate that folks like you who claim Nigeria so much have decided to trade Nigeria for political gains.
US is obviously being mischievous and all you do is insult Mr President!
Anyway, just know that when Nigeria finally scatters, and you start looking for whom to blame, add your name on that list.

First Nigeria will not scatter. Secondly, Jonathan is not transparent and excessively corrupt - nobody in his right mind make a deal with such person.

How can one justify smuggling money to South Africa to procure illegal arms when there legitimate ways to get it? Why is Jonathan afraid of the Front gate? Why must he always enter his good neighbour's house by jumping over the fence at the back-yard? Why is he exporting his Stealing-Is-Not-Corruption style of Government to other countries?

The Zoologist must be voted out before he sinks this nation with anarchy and corruption.

The truth is

they dont trust this present administration



and they are trying to save lots of innocent citizens

Hmmmm. But seriously there LOTS of countries that are willing to sell to us and dont give a damn about USA policies, why cant we patronize them.

Blaming USA for our whoas is getting stale, we are at war, we cant keep being the cry baby of the world.

It is also high time our government start investing heavily in Research and Development. Who says we cant build our own weapons?

South Africa has nuclear weapon, North Korea that is far poorer than Nigeria has good weapons development programs. What are we still waiting for

Money being spent on pilgrimage, should be diverted into Research and Development, In technology and medicine. Of what national benefit is the pilgrimage our government spends billions on, sending thousands of people to Mecca and Jerusalem.

We had better wake from our silly slumber

How can a country be so blessed and rich as Nigeria and we cant invest in weapons developments, then why do we have so many first class engineers in the first place?

I was at the Airforce Industries, Kaduna about 4 years ago. Honestly things are still archaic there. We are not at par with this decade at all.

USA is world power today, because they invested in research and development not sponsoring their people on pilgrimage to mecca and jerusalem.

NIGERIA!!! WAKE UP!!!

Haba!

Post advert today and ask nigerians to volunteer in weapons development and see how you will be flooded with ideas and men of great knowledge

It wont be easy as ABC, but it is not that difficult too if there is visionary leadership. FACT: India is already sending men to space and probes to the moon and Mars (they where the first to discover water on the moon) yet they got independence only 13 years ahead of Nigeria

I know b4, those ppl no want our progress, na Ebolla cum dem deny our request not knowing that their own ebola case dey wait 4 front.
Must we buy militrary Hardwares from them? Russian no dey sell again?

Anyway Gej till 2K19

Medicine after death. Come to think of it, why would Nigeria wait until now to upgrade military hardware?

I have a laptop, should I wait until a virus threatens it before updating the anti virus?

Nigeria is a joke but anyway GEJ until APC brings a credible person.

Turn to Russia. I have heard somewhere dat BH is a CIA covert operation

Is the US the only arms dealer in the world

All I see is a government so desperate to sell to the electorates some reason why the war is not being won. Watch out, when campaigns come full swing, this is all we will be hearing!! They will blame the inability of our troops to make gains on the refusal of US to sell us arms!! Then they can even step it up a little by associating the opposition with this refusal.

Shame.

We need peace in Nigeria. US is blocking the arms deal because they think that Nigerian Govt is a tribal Govt that favors a particular section than others. They can foresee a situation whereby the weapons are being used to unjustly brutalize and bully opposing Zones come 2015. The truth is that USA know Nigeria is not united. When other races (e.g. China) are tribally united in there quest to dominate the world, we are tribally divided, foolishly trying to dominate one another.
They hope you will never know this: https://www.nairaland.com/1983011/history-when-black-men-ruled#27758514
Yes, read the history from the above thread, a generation of united Africans once ruled the world right from Europe.

egift:


First Nigeria will not scatter. Secondly, Jonathan is not transparent and excessively corrupt - nobody in his right mind make a deal with such person.

How can one justify smuggling money to South Africa to procure illegal arms when there legitimate ways to get it? Why is Jonathan afraid of the Front gate? Why must he always enter his good neighbour's house by jumping over the fence at the back-yard? Why is he exporting his Stealing-Is-Not-Corruption style of Government to other countries?

The Zoologist must be voted out before he sinks this nation with anarchy and corruption.

My beloved brother, I know you can do better than this. You know from your heart, you're not the one typing this. I pray God give you a good heart devoid of politics. God bless Nigeria.

If u love Nigeria click like,,if u hate Nigeria click share

Uncle Sam is a terrorist sponsor

Their refusal to sell arms is something we should not judge at face level.
There could be more to it but I can only guess that it is based on Nigeria's refusal to implement gay rights, or because they feel the present government is corrupt or Jonathan might have refused them some favor.

Just guessing.

US wants her prediction that Nigeria may go their separate ways by 2015 to come to pass.
Seriously,we need an ex-military person at the helm of affairs to nip this insurgence in the bud.

President Jonathan declares for second term after more than 40 students of Government Science technical School were killed when a suspected Boko Haram operative detonated a bomb on the assembly ground.
Not considering this, the United States and its allies refuse to sell weapons to Nigeria on the ground that human right
violations are being committed by the military.
Boko Haram continues to grab Nigeria's territory


Politicians continue to prepare for 2015 Parents continue to cry over their dead and lost children


Who will help Nigeria?
Who will help President Jonathan?
What is America and its friends up to?

Same arms that would be surrundered to Boko Haram as the military men flee for their lives?

conspiracy theory!

egift:
Story for mami-water. Keep spraying cluelessness and bring shame on Nigerians just because you are serving under a Zoologist.

Gbam!

Booked