The United States (US) has reportedly vetoed a 2014 arms sale of US-made Cobra helicopters by Israel to Nigeria over human rights abuses.
In a recent report by The Times of Israel, Israel’s ministry of defence had approved the sales of the requested arms by Nigeria, before the US forbade the deal over concerns that the Nigerian government was not doing enough to avoid civilian casualties in the fight against Boko Haram.
The Israeli media exposed the US intents for vetoing Israel’s sales of arms to Nigeria. Nigeria was reported to have sought the purchase of Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, both of which are produced by American companies.
New York Times earlier reported how the strained relationship between Nigeria and US military trainers had been affecting the battle against insurgency in Nigeria.
In its report, it said the Pentagon often bypassed Nigerian officials altogether, choosing instead to work with security officials in neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger. An official with the United States Africa Command (Africom) expressed the US distrust in the Nigerian army, even suggesting that the Nigerian army had been infiltrated by Boko Haram. “We don’t have a foundation for what I would call a good partnership right now,” the official said. “We want a relationship based on trust, but you have to be able to see yourself. And they’re in denial.”
To buttress the strained relationship between the two countries, Nigeria, in December 2014, suspended the training of a battalion of its army by the US.
While visiting Nigeria last weekend, John Kerry, US secretary of states, maintained that the US is committed to ensuring that the forthcoming elections in Nigeria are peaceful, nonviolent, and credible. He appealed to Nigerian politicians to accept the outcome of the election and encourage their supporters to do away with violence.
With more than $18 billion in bilateral trade, Nigeria is the largest trading partner of the United States in Africa.
