The European Union (EU) has pledged a defence support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria totalling €20 million.
The special assistant on media to the minister of defence, Leah Katung-Babatunde, disclosed the development in a statement on Saturday.
According to her, 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.
She said the meeting focused on key bilateral defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
She added that 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.
