Nigeria is moving forward with the acquisition of 12 American-made attack helicopters, in a deal worth approximately one billion dollars, a step that the US Embassy in Abuja described as embodying the “growing security partnership” between the two countries, at a time when Nigeria continues to face one of its most complex security crises in years, due to the strong rise of ISIS in West Africa and the Boko Haram group.
The US mission said, in a post on the “X” platform, on Tuesday, that “security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria continues to enhance our joint efforts to support regional security,” and added that Abuja’s acquisition of American AH-1Z Viper helicopters is a step that confirms “the two countries’ commitment to building Nigerian defense capabilities and confronting current and emerging threats together.”
The announcement came after a symbolic signing ceremony for the first construction of the helicopters at the Bell Textron facility in Amarillo, Texas, attended by a delegation from the Nigerian Air Force, headed by its Chief of Staff, Air Lieutenant General Sunday Anike, who described the event as “important” in the effort to build a “more capable and ready” air force.
During the visit, the Nigerian military delegation inspected the helicopter production line at the factory.
4 years late
The deal dates back to April 2022, when the US State Department approved the possible sale of 12 Viper helicopters, along with their equipment and ammunition, for a total value of approximately $997 million, along with a precise missile guidance system, and allocating $25 million to support the Nigerian forces technically and institutionally.
However, the deal faltered for years due to bureaucratic complications and financing restrictions, in addition to previous concerns related to the American “Leahy” laws that restrict arms deals with armies accused of human rights violations, while the administration of former US President Barack Obama had previously reduced arms sales to Nigeria for this reason.
In March 2024, Bell Textron received an actual contract worth $455 million from the US Department of Defense to manufacture helicopters, with delivery scheduled to be completed by early 2029.
According to the specialized website “Military Africa”, Nigeria will become the third country to obtain this helicopter after Bahrain and the Czech Republic. It is a helicopter equipped with the ability to carry “Sidewinder” air-to-air missiles, in addition to precision guided missiles instead of “Hellfire” anti-armor missiles.
Continuous cooperation
The announcement of this deal comes as a continuation of months of intense military cooperation between the two countries, which included the exchange of intelligence information, training, logistical support, and joint counter-terrorism operations. This September, Washington delivered military equipment to Nigeria as part of a foreign military sales agreement, which the AFRICOM leadership said aimed to support counter-terrorism operations and strengthen the bilateral partnership. The two countries also established joint defense working groups under the 2026 “Defense Cooperation Roadmap.”
Previously, at the beginning of this year, the United States deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria to assist in counter-terrorism efforts, although Nigerian officials initially confirmed that their mission would be limited to training and exchanging intelligence information without direct combat.
However, the American and Nigerian forces later carried out joint operations targeting ISIS sites in the northeast of the country, before most of the American elements were withdrawn while intelligence cooperation continued.
The development of cooperation between the two countries coincides with diplomatic tensions that followed Washington’s classification of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” against the backdrop of concerns related to religious freedom. This later prompted the two countries to form a joint working group to address violence against vulnerable groups and evaluate the path of bilateral security cooperation. Last August, Nigerian officials reported that this group was discussing the “next phase” of the partnership.
Security crisis
The helicopter deal comes at a time when the United States classifies Nigeria, under a travel warning issued last June, at “Level Three,” urging its citizens to “reconsider” traveling there due to crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnappings.
Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa in terms of population (more than 240 million people) and the strongest economy in West Africa, faces great security risks, represented by the strong rise of the “ISIS in West Africa” organization and the “Boko Haram” group in large areas of the north of the country, in addition to multiple conflicts between Muslims and Christians on the one hand, and between ethnic groups in conflict on the ground, especially in the center of the country.
These ongoing security developments since 2009 have caused the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions from their homes, while the army continues its operations against terrorist groups and organized crime networks. Although it has achieved results on the ground, the situation is still characterized by much tension.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Malian army and members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner of committing war crimes, including killing and torturing civilians, during joint military operations in Mali.
The ruling military junta in Mali, which came to power following two coups in 2020 and 2021, turned to Russia to obtain support in its war against jihadists, seeking in particular the help of elements of the paramilitary “Wagner” group, which later became the “Africa Corps.”
Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Malian army and Russian paramilitary elements of killing civilians during military operations in the country, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
Amnesty International said in a new report that it documented the killing of at least 34 civilians in seven locations in the Ségou and Mopti regions in central Mali and Timbuktu in its north, between June 2023 and December 2025.
The report confirmed that “none of the victims was directly participating in hostilities at the time of his death.”
He added that some of the victims were “deliberately shot while trying to escape or after being arrested.” Some were slaughtered, while others were burned alive or after their death.”
The report highlighted an incident in the small village of Tin Andanda in the Timbuktu region, where four people were killed on February 12, 2025 during a joint patrol of the Malian army and Wagner elements.
The organization also documented two drone strikes carried out in the same area in March and November 2025, which resulted in the deaths of at least 23 people, including at least five children.
The organization said that it also collected testimonies of 15 men who were subjected to torture or ill-treatment during joint patrols of the Malian army and Wagner, or while they were detained at the Liri and Nampala military bases.
Witnesses confirmed that 30 people were subjected to torture during those patrols and inside the two bases, noting that five people died in the two bases as a result of torture or poor detention conditions.
According to Amnesty International, most of the victims belong to the Fulani, Arab and Tuareg communities that depend on pastoralism.
She explained that some people were suspected of collaborating with armed groups “based solely on their ethnic background and their presence in an area where these armed groups are active.”
In April, three civil society organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights, filed a lawsuit before the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights of the African Union, regarding alleged violations in Mali involving the Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group.
