We won’t sell fighter helicopters to Nigeria, US insists
The
United States has defended its refusal to sell cobra helicopters to
Nigeria, saying the Federal Government is free to buy fighter jets from
any other country.
“Nigeria has
purchased helicopters that originated in countries other than the US and
nothing in our decision prevents Nigeria from obtaining weapons and
equipment from other sources,” its State Department spokeswoman, Jen
Psaki, said on Wednesday.
Psaki was
responding to questions from journalists on the allegations by the
Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, that Washington
declined to sell lethal arms to Nigeria.
Adefuye
had also told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday
that Washington was not doing enough to assist Nigeria in combating the
Boko Haram insurgency in North-East zone of the country.
He
said, “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 on the basis of the allegations that
Nigeria’s defence forces have been violating human rights of Boko Haram
suspects when captured or arrested.
“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.”
But
Psaki said that the US refused to sell the helicopters to Nigeria due
to concerns about the ability of the military to use and maintain them.
The
cobra is a combat aircraft with the ability to climb at the rate of
8.2metres per second. It is equipped with a 20 mm M197 3-barrelled
Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 rounds ammo capacity).
Psaki
said there were ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s
protection of civilians when conducting military operations, adding that
these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.
The
State Department spokeswoman added, “Earlier this year, we denied the
transfer of some cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns
about Nigeria’s ability to use and maintain this type of helicopter in
its effort against Boko Haram and ongoing concerns about the Nigerian
military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations.
We shared those concerns with Nigeria before this decision and
subsequent to it.
“We’ll continue to
look for ways to deepen our cooperation with Nigeria to help it acquire
the systems and skills needed to restore peace and security. But
obviously, we’ve provided a great deal of assistance over the past
several months.”
Psaki said Washington
would not have raised concerns on human rights abuses by the Nigerian
military “if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were
warranted.”
She assured the Nigerian government that the US was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military.
Urging
the Federal Government to investigate allegations of abuses by the
military, Psaki stated that the US valued its long standing relationship
with Nigeria.
She said that
Washington had been offering various forms of assistance to Nigeria,
including sharing intelligence with its armed forces .
Psaki
said, “Let me just lay out the facts of our assistance: Over the past
six months, the United States has started sharing intelligence with
Nigeria, began training a new army battalion and held numerous
high-level discussions with Nigerian authorities on additional measures
to best address the Boko Haram threat.
“We
have also provided and approved sales of military equipment to its
armed forces. These decisions are made, of course, after careful
scrutiny to ensure they conform with the US law.”
Our
correspondents could not get the Director of Defence Information, Maj.
Gen. Chris Olukolade, to speak on the issue as calls to his mobile
telephone did not connect.
Also, Olukolade did not respond to a text message sent to him.
When
contacted, the Director, Communications Division, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Mr. Ogbole Ahmedu-Ode, said, “I am in transit right now and I
am hearing about this from you for the first time, I can’t comment on
it. You may ask the Defence Headquarters.’’
Courtesy: Punch Newspaper
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