The decision of the United States lawmakers on the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee to suspend or delay endorsing a proposal for the sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military is unfortunate, at a critical time that Nigeria is embattled with criminality of a wide proportion in practically every of her corners. But it is not new, neither should it present as a surprise for the authorities. A similar action was taken against the country during the tenure of former president Goodluck Jonathan. Often, such actions glean support from negative reports of human rights abuses against the military by various rights groups, including Amnesty International.

According to a report reviewed by Foreign Policy magazine, the US Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate have reportedly delayed clearing the proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military, citing the drift of the present government in Nigeria towards authoritarianism and human rights violations, among others. The US officials and congressional aides familiar with the matter indicated that the deal is worth $875 million.

Beside stopping the sale of helicopters, the US lawmakers have also stood against the proposed sale of 28 helicopter engines produced by GE Aviation, 14 military-grade aircraft navigation systems made by Honeywell, and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systems — laser-guided rocket munitions, according to information sent by the State Department to Congress.

The report said behind-the-scenes controversy over the proposed arms sale illustrates a broader debate among Washington policymakers over how to balance national security with human rights objectives, amid growing concerns that the President Buhari government seems to be drifting toward authoritarianism while being besieged by multiple security challenges, including the Boko Haram insurgency.

Chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez, called for a “fundamental rethink of the framework of our overall engagement” with Nigeria during a Senate hearing with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in June. The details on the proposed sale were first sent by the US State Department to Congress in January before then-former Vice President Joe Biden was inaugurated as president, according to officials familiar with the matter. About a week ago, Nigeria received six out of the 12 Tucano jet fighters purchased from the US government.

Being a policy matter by the US government, guiding the sale of arms and ammunitions to other countries, Nigeria will have to live with the suspension and similar other actions, so long as she is dependent on foreign countries for the supply of its military equipment. Importantly, the Buhari government officials need to agree that the military has fallen short of the integrity and transparency in the deployment of its arsenal; at least by internationally adjudged standard.

There have been several allegations and suspicions of sabotage in military operations, believed to be inspired by corruption and selfish motive, which have encouraged insurgents and prolonged the war. The authorities have not adequately denied or addressed these complaints; neither have they debunked insinuations of government tacit encouragement of Boko Haram fighters, given that many of them were officially ‘rehabilitated’ at public expense; yet reports show the members always returned to their insurgency camps at great peril of the military. Surely, the suppliers of the arms and ammunitions to Nigeria are justified to be worried about these developments and to consider a review of their support.

Nevertheless, the war against Boko Haram, about 10 years old now, remains a highly unconventional war in which civilian casualties are inevitable. For instance, the insurgents live within the communities, and among the people who are also the victims. In such a situation, collateral damages are practically guaranteed in the course of military onslaught. It is on record that shortly after the capture of more than 200 girls of the school in Chibok, Borno State, military authorities claimed that they knew where the girls were but were dissuaded from confronting the abductors to avoid huge casualties of the captives.

There is little doubt that Western governments and international human rights organisations have ramped up their criticisms of the Buhari’s government, particularly in the wake of its ban on Twitter, systemic corruption issues, and the Nigerian military’s role in crackdowns on #EndSARS protesters last October.

The development presents an uphill challenge to President Buhari and the military to step up their self-cleansing, put a stop to practices that support corruption charges or underhand dealings, stop giving impression that the war is intended to be prosecuted for ever or that it is a thriving industry. Rather the military should face Boko Haram insurgents squarely and, if possible, put a time limit to restore normalcy in the affected regions. The same should apply to the dealing with bandits and killer herdsmen in other parts.

The Leahy Laws which is US human rights laws prohibit the US Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity. It is the duty of the Nigerian government in the instance to prove its innocence on the charges, given the circumstances. Government in addition needs to launch a diplomatic offensive to promote the US better understanding of its dilemma.

On her part, the United States lawmakers and government should show more understanding of the Nigerian military’s plight, such that holding the military accountable to the Leahy Laws should not be at the expense of allowing Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal elements to overrun the country. Ultimately, Nigeria should wake up and develop her military hardware capacity using local content beyond the rhetoric level that she has hitherto been engaged over the years. It is time for the country’s defence industry to start yielding fruits and make the country more self-reliant.

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