The European Union (EU) is planning to provide €20 million in defence assistance to the Nigerian Armed Forces to strengthen the country’s military operations and security efforts.
The proposed support under the European Peace Facility was discussed during a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Gautier Mignot, at Ship House in Abuja.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, an EU technical delegation is expected to visit Abuja in November to finalise details of the proposed assistance.
During the meeting, both sides reviewed security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU, with Mignot commending Musa’s efforts to improve the country’s security situation. The ambassador also invited the minister to attend a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels later this year.
Musa expressed appreciation for the EU’s continued support and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and promoting national development.
He said relative peace was gradually returning to some troubled areas through the efforts of the military and other security agencies. However, he acknowledged that kidnappings along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained serious security concerns.
The minister also revealed that Nigeria was expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other military equipment to strengthen ongoing security operations.
On regional security, Musa raised concerns about the shrinking Lake Chad Basin, which supports more than 50 million people, warning that the situation could contribute to instability.
He said preventing terrorists from accessing hideouts on the Lake Chad islands remained a major operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
Musa also stressed that Nigeria’s Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme should give priority to victims of the conflict, including military personnel affected by the violence.
Meanwhile, Mignot praised a recent conference involving former and serving MNJTF force commanders, which also had representatives from the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission in attendance.
The planned €20 million assistance highlights ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU as the country continues efforts to tackle insurgency, kidnapping and other security threats.
