The United States has said that it refused to sell its Cobra helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the Nigeria’s military ability to use and maintain them.
The cobra attack helicopter is a combat aircraft used by the US marines with the ability to climb at the rate of 8.2meters per second. It is equipped with a 20 mm M197 3-barreled Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 rounds ammo capacity).
America however said that it had provided and approved sales of military equipment to Nigerian armed forces.
The US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said this in Washington when she was reacting allegations made by the Nigerian ambassador to US, Professor Adebowale Adefuye that America has not been helping Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.
Adefuye had told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that the US refused to sell lethal arms to Nigeria, adding that America was not doing enough to assist in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in North-Eastern part of the country.
The ambassador 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.”
Adefuye said that Washington had refused Nigeria’s requests to buy heavy weaponry because of allegations the defense forces have violated the human rights of Boko Haram suspects.
He said allegations of human rights abuses by the military were “rumors, hearsays and exaggerated accounts put about by rivals of President Goodluck Jonathan and rights groups.”
But Psaki in reaction to Adefuye’s allegations, claimed there had been “a great deal” of US aid to Nigeria.
She 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. [myad]
