The key facts

  • EU promised Nigeria €20 million ($23 million) in military aid through the European Peace Facility
  • EU technical delegation will arrive in Nigeria in November to agree on details
  • Nigeria expects deliveries of 10 attack helicopters and UAVs

Discussion of Aid in Abuja

The European Union has promised to allocate €20 million ($23 million) as military aid to Nigeria's armed forces to strengthen security cooperation and combat the ongoing instability in the country. According to Nigeria's Defence Ministry media adviser Lea Katung-Babatunde, the matter was discussed at a meeting in Abuja between Defence Minister Christopher Musa and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot.

Terms and Timeline

The aid will be provided through the European Peace Facility. An EU technical delegation is expected to visit Nigeria in November to agree on the procedure for providing the support. Mignot praised the Nigerian government's efforts in addressing security challenges and invited Musa to a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels later this year.

Reaction from the Nigerian Side

Musa thanked the EU for its support and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu's commitment to protecting citizens' lives and national development. According to him, security operations are gradually restoring relative calm in some troubled areas, but kidnappings on major highways and attacks on isolated communities remain serious challenges.

Expectations of Equipment and the Regional Agenda

The minister also said that Nigeria expects deliveries of 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and other military equipment to strengthen ongoing operations. In the regional context, he called the shrinking of the Lake Chad basin, on which more than 50 million people depend, a source of potential instability. According to him, the priority of the Multinational Joint Task Force remains preventing terrorists from using the Lake Chad islands as bases. Musa also stressed that the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme should give priority attention to victims of the conflict, including servicemen affected by insurgent activity.

Context

Nigeria has long faced an insurgency in the country's north-east, as well as banditry, kidnappings and other forms of violence in various regions.