Senate President Bukola Saraki has revealed the United States government have agreed in principle to sell arms to Nigeria to help in the fight against the insurgency.
Senator Saraki revealed this when a US Congressional Delegation stormed the country today.
“As you are aware, there is a new development that has happened in respect to the procurement of arms by the country.
“For the first time, the US Government have agreed in principle to sell arms to Nigeria to help in our fight against the insurgency. Of course, we will look into areas of human rights where there has always been a concern.
“We hope that following this visit, the sale of the arms to our armed forces will now become a reality,” Saraki said.
“This will represent a new chapter that we are opening — where the US government will be ready to sell arms to Nigeria and that will help to strengthen the efforts of our armed forces in the fight against terrorism, surveillance and intelligence.
“The commitment that they have made today is that terrorism is an issue that should not be left to Nigeria alone, and if it means that we may need to secure new weapons from other countries, then it is an option that needs to be urgently explored. However, we will also continue to play our own role in the area of human rights,” he further stated.
The US delegation was led by Senator Christopher Coons, it included Senators Gary Peters and Michael Bennet; US. Representatives, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Terri Sewell, Charlie Dent, Barbara Lee and Frederica Wilson.
They were accompanied by US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symminton.