29 Jul US Lawmakers Block sale of attack Helicopters To Nigeria
United States lawmakers are holding down a proposed sale of attack helicopters to Nigeria over its Human Rights record.
The lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have reportedly delayed clearing a proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military.
The deal is worth $875 million, according to US officials and congressional aides familiar with the matter.
Information sent by the State Department to Congress and reviewed by Foreign Policy magazine, said the proposed sale also 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.
A report by the magazine on Tuesday said the 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.
Western governments and international Human Rights organisations have ramped up their criticisms of the Buhari regime, particularly in the wake of its ban on Twitter, systemic corruption issues, and the Nigerian military’s role in deadly crackdowns on #EndSARS protesters last October.
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