Cory Booker and Rand Paul, US senators, have
opposed the sale of attack aircraft to Nigeria, saying
the country must investigate cases of alleged human
rights abuses before sealing the deal with the US.

In a letter dated June 8 and addressed to Rex
Tillerson, US secretary of state, the senators expressed
concern that Nigeria’s acquisition of these aircraft
would “spur unrest and violence, particularly in the
north-eastern part of the country.”

They said that if the aircraft are sold without any
indication of Nigeria’s commitment to the protection of
human rights, it would go contrary to the US security
objectives.

While citing the Shi’ites “massacre” allegedly carried
out by the Nigerian army and the accidental Rann
bombing by the Nigerian airforce, they said there were
allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in
the military.

Booker was part of a bipartisan group of senators that
voted to block a weapons sale to Saudi Arabia
“because of concerns over the country’s targeting of
Yemen civilians”.

“We request that before you approve this sale, you
brief us on the steps Nigeria has taken to investigate
and hold accountable those that have committed
human rights abuses. We believe the security threats
Nigeria is facing are very real but that a sale of this
nature, and at this time, is ill-advised,” the lawmakers
wrote in the letter.

“Boko Haram – a 5,000 to 10,000 strong insurgent
force with ties to the Islamic State – will not be
defeated through expanded air power alone.

“At the same time, there continues to be additional
allegations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct
throughout the Nigerian military. While some soldiers
have been released or retired, there has yet to be any
real or meaningful accountability for the systemic
challenges that have plagued Nigeria’s security forces
for decades.

“Without addressing these problems at an institutional
level, reform is merely cosmetic and will only
perpetuate long-standing patterns of abuse, which
could serve as propaganda for Boko Haram and other
insurgent groups seeking to discredit the Nigerian
government.

“We are concerned that the decision to proceed with
this sale will empower the government to backtrack
even further on its commitments to human rights,
accountability, and upholding international
humanitarian law, which in turn could spur greater
unrest and violence, particularly in the north-eastern
part of the country.

“Accordingly, we strongly urge you to reconsider your
decision to sell A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft
to Nigeria without any meaningful reform or any clear
safeguards in place. Instead, we recommend you make
clear to Abuja that the sale of these aircraft can
proceed only if there is positive and measurable
progress on reforming the security institutions.”

In April, Washington Post reported that the
administration of President Donald Trump Trump had
agreed to sell 12 fighter jets to Nigeria at $600 million.

Quoting some officials, the newspaper had said
congress was expected to receive formal notification
of the deal within weeks.

TheCable