Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, confirmed Friday that the United States has relaxed restrictions on military sales, a major shift after years of limitations under the Leahy Law over human rights concerns.
While welcoming the development, Tuggar noted that Nigeria’s ability to purchase equipment will still depend on financial considerations.
He argued that current regional insecurity is a direct consequence of past foreign interventions, particularly the NATO-led action in Libya that led to the proliferation of fighters and weapons into the Sahel and Nigeria.
The minister stated that this regional context is often overlooked, leading to ineffective solutions, and recalled a time before the Leahy Law when Nigeria was more effective in leading regional peacekeeping missions.
The Leahy Law prohibits the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign security units credibly accused of gross human rights violations unless the host government takes corrective action.
