Why we wont sell Fighter Helicopters to Nigeria - US

The United States  has explained why it has refused to sell fighter helicopter to Nigeria, to combat the on-going crisis in the North.

While fielding questions from Journalists on  the allegations by the  Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye,  the State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said 

“the US refused to sell the helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the ability of the military to use and maintain them. Moreover 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.

“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.

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.”

She however assured the Nigerian government that the US  was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military.

Earlier in the week, Adefuye told journalists that “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.”