U.S. Approves Possible $346 Million Weapons Sale to Nigeria

Tone & Political Bias: Center

Why: The reporting presents factual details from official sources without clear ideological framing or opinion.

State Department Approval

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $346 million weapons sale to Nigeria aimed at strengthening the country’s security. The Pentagon announced the approval on Wednesday, stating that Congress has been notified and must authorize the deal before it can proceed.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which manages the sale of U.S. military equipment to foreign countries, confirmed that the requested weapons package includes munitions, bombs, and rockets.

Security Context in Nigeria

Nigeria is currently battling a resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram, the armed group that began an insurgency in 2009 with the aim of opposing Western education and imposing its version of Islamic law.

Recent months have seen repeated assaults by the group and other extremists in the country’s northeast, including:

• Overrunning of military outposts

• Planting roadside bombs

• Raiding civilian communities

  
  

According to the United Nations, the conflict has killed about 35,000 civilians and displaced over 2 million people in the region.

Broader Security Challenges

Beyond the northeast, Nigeria faces additional security crises:

• In the north-central and northwest regions, hundreds have been killed or injured in recent months due to armed violence.

• The instability threatens not only domestic safety but also regional stability in West Africa.

  
  

Pentagon’s Rationale

The Pentagon stated that the proposed weapons sale will enhance Nigeria’s ability to:

• Conduct operations against terrorist organizations

• Counter illicit trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea

The DSCA emphasized that the deal will not negatively affect U.S. defense readiness.

Previous U.S.-Nigeria Defense Deals

This is not the first major U.S. weapons sale to Nigeria. In 2022, the State Department approved a $997 million sale, also aimed at bolstering the country’s military capacity. Over the past decade, Nigeria has regularly purchased military equipment from the United States.

Next Steps

Congress will review the proposal and has the authority to block or amend the sale. If approved, the transfer would include training, technical assistance, and support alongside the delivery of weapons.