The European Union has proposed €20m in defence assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the European Peace Facility as both parties seek to strengthen security cooperation.
The development followed a meeting between the Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, and EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, in Abuja.
According to the Defence Ministry, an EU technical delegation is expected to visit Nigeria in November to discuss arrangements for delivering the support. Mignot also commended Nigeria’s security efforts and invited Musa to a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels.
Musa said relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of Nigeria but acknowledged that kidnappings along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained challenges.
He disclosed that Nigeria was expecting 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and other military equipment to strengthen operations.
The minister also identified instability around the shrinking Lake Chad Basin as a continuing security concern, noting that protecting the islands from terrorist groups remained a priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force.
He added that the government’s Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme would prioritise victims of conflict, including affected military personnel.
