EU Pledges €20m Defence Support to Nigeria During High-Level Talks in Abuja

The European Union has pledged 20 million euros in defence support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the European Peace Facility, as the country continues its fight against terrorism and other security threats.

The proposed assistance was discussed during a meeting in Abuja between Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, according to a statement issued by the minister’s media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde.

The EU ambassador disclosed that a technical delegation from Brussels would visit Nigeria in November to finalise the modalities for delivering the support. Mignot also commended the minister for his efforts in improving the country’s security situation and invited Musa to a meeting of defence ministers scheduled to take place in Brussels later in the year.

Musa expressed gratitude to the EU for its continued support and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and promoting national development. He stated that relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of the country through the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies, though he acknowledged that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained persistent challenges.

The minister revealed that Nigeria was expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other critical military equipment to strengthen ongoing security operations.

On regional security, Musa identified the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, which supports more than 50 million people, as a potential source of instability. He stressed that denying terrorists access to their strongholds on the islands of Lake Chad remained a key operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force.

Regarding the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme, the minister emphasised that the initiative should prioritise victims of the conflict, including military personnel affected by the insurgency.

The planned assistance follows broader EU-Nigeria security cooperation. In February, both sides held their first Peace, Security and Defence Dialogue, and the EU has noted that its peace, security, and defence cooperation with Nigeria exceeded 700 million euros between 2015 and 2025.