Washington: U.S. to Sell Apache Attack Helicopters to Nigeria

WASHINGTON, Stella Igwe-Adesoga, Per

Second News--- Ahead of the Monday

morning meeting between visiting President

Muhammadu Buhari, and President Barak

Obama, the United States has decided to

unblock the sales of Military equipment and

U.S attack helicopters to Nigeria's Military to

help in fighting escalating insurgency, Per

Second News gathered Sunday evening in

Washington.

U.S. law forbid the sale of certain arms to

militaries accused of gross human rights

abuses and Amnesty International has

accused the Nigerian army's leadership of

complicity in the death of 8,000 detainees in

the battle against Boko Haram.

Nigerian soldiers have said they are

outnumbered and outgunned by Boko Haram

and often are sent into battle with no food

and just 30 bullets each.

President Buhari has promised to investigate

and prosecute perpetrators, while also

cleaning up the Military.

"We're looking forward to what we can do

with a president who has staked out an

agenda that we think is the right agenda at

the right time," the U.S. National Security

Council's Grant Harris said in Washington

ahead of the meeting.

Due to Buhari's promise of cleaning up the

mess and desire to mend relations battered

by his predecessor's failures to fight an

Islamic uprising and corruption in Africa's

biggest oil producer, the United States will sell

eight advanced Apache attack helicopters to

Nigeria, security experts disclosed Sunday to

tighten defense ties between Washington and

Abuja and to beef up the Nigerian military.

Speaking in Washington a US political analyst

Goldman Anthony in African Arguments said

that a military overhaul could include returning

procurement to the Defense Ministry.

"Privately, the new security commanders are

warning of no quick fixes … arguing that Boko

Haram infiltration of the army and civilian

structures is a major unresolved difficulty,"

Goldman concluded.

The deal is worth around $500m according to

defense experts.

Copyright 2015 Per Second News. All rights

reserved. This material may not be published,

broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without

permission.