US delivers military equipment to Nigeria

The United States has delivered some military equipment it sold to Nigeria as part of the two countries’ bilateral counterterrorism collaboration.

The delivery, made over the weekend using a United States Air Force C-17 aircraft, was disclosed in a post on X by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Thursday.

The command, however, did not disclose the specific equipment delivered or its cost.

“The equipment is part of a foreign military sales agreement that furthers the US-Nigerian partnership and will aid in Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism in the region,” AFRICOM said.

Details of military sales agreement

It is not immediately clear whether the latest delivery was part of a Foreign Military Sales agreement worth $346 million, which was approved by the US State Department in August 2025.

The agreement included munitions, precision bombs, precision rockets and other weapons. According to the United States, the equipment was intended to support Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism and illicit arms trafficking, among other security challenges.

The latest delivery adds to a series of military equipment sales and security assistance provided by the United States to Nigeria in recent years.

Between 2017 and 2022, the US also approved the sale of several weapons and military platforms to Nigeria, including 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft worth about $593 million.

The United States also approved the sale of 12 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters estimated to cost $997 million.

While some of the equipment has been delivered, reports have indicated that other items from previous agreements were yet to be delivered.

Expanded US-Nigeria security cooperation

The latest equipment delivery comes amid expanded security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.

The two countries have increased collaboration in areas including counterterrorism operations, intelligence sharing and military training as Nigeria continues to battle insurgency and other armed groups, particularly in the North-east.

The cooperation intensified following diplomatic tensions between Washington and Abuja over US President Donald Trump’s claim that Christians were being disproportionately targeted by terrorist groups in Nigeria.

Trump accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and warned that the United States could take action against terrorist groups if the situation persisted.

Nigerian authorities rejected the characterisation, insisting that insurgents and other armed groups target Nigerians regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

US personnel deployed to Nigeria

Following the tensions, Nigeria and the United States subsequently reached a bilateral agreement that further strengthened security cooperation between the two countries.

Under the arrangement, the United States deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria to provide training, intelligence and operational support.

The deployment followed coordinated US-Nigeria strikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria’s North-east.

The growing military partnership is expected to support Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to tackle terrorism and other security threats while strengthening operational cooperation between the two countries.

The latest delivery of military equipment therefore represents another development in the expanding US-Nigeria security relationship, although AFRICOM has yet to provide details of the equipment delivered or confirm the specific foreign military sales agreement under which it was supplied.