The European Union (EU) has pledged €20 million in defence support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
Leah Katung-Babatunde, special assistant on media to the
minister of defence, announced the development in a statement on Saturday.
She said the proposed support was discussed when Christopher
Musa, minister of defence, met with Gautier Mignot, EU ambassador to Nigeria
and ECOWAS, at the Ship House in Abuja.
According to Katung-Babatunde, the meeting focused on key
bilateral defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation
between Nigeria and the EU.
She said Mignot commended Musa’s efforts to improve the
country’s security situation and invited him to a meeting of defence ministers
in Brussels later in the year.
Katung-Babatunde added that the discussions centred on
arrangements for the EU’s €20 million bilateral assistance to the AFN under the
European Peace Facility (EPF).
She said the ambassador noted that an EU technical
delegation would visit Nigeria in November to agree on the details.
Musa thanked the EU for its continued support for Nigeria
and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and
promoting national development.
The minister said relative peace was gradually returning to
troubled parts of the country through the efforts of the armed forces and other
security agencies.
He said that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on
isolated communities remained a challenge.
Musa added that Nigeria was expecting the delivery of 10
attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other military
equipment to strengthen security operations.
He identified the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, which
supports more than 50 million people, as a source of instability.
The minister said denying terrorists access to holding areas
on the Lake Chad islands remained a key operational priority for the
Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
On the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR)
programme, Musa said the initiative would prioritise victims, including
military personnel affected by the conflict.
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