The European Union (EU) is set to provide €20 million in defence assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) under the European Peace Facility (EPF).
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Defence.
The statement was made following discussions between Defence Minister Christopher Musa and the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Gautier Mignot.
Musa received Mignot and his delegation at the Ship House in Abuja, where they discussed critical defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
EU delegation to visit Nigeria in November
Katung-Babatunde said Mignot disclosed that an EU technical delegation would visit Nigeria in November to agree on the details for delivering the €20 million assistance.
She added that the EU ambassador commended Musa for his efforts in changing the country’s security dynamics and invited him to attend a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels later in the year.
Defence Minister, Musa expressed gratitude to the EU for its consistent support for Nigeria and assured Mignot of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring the safety of Nigerians and the development of the country.
Nigeria highlights persistent security challenges
Musa said relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of Nigeria due to the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies.
However, he noted that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities persisted and were being tackled.
- “In this regard, Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other major enablers,” Musa said.
The minister also identified the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, on which more than 50 million people depend, as a potential source of instability.
He stressed that denying terrorists holding areas on the Lake Chad islands remained a key operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
Musa also addressed Nigeria’s Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, emphasising that it would prioritise victims, including affected military personnel.
Nigeria deepens international defence partnerships
Recent developments show Nigeria pursuing different approaches to strengthening its defence capabilities, from receiving military equipment from foreign partners to expanding local defence production.
- In October 2024, Nairametrics reported that the United Kingdom donated non-lethal military equipment valued at approximately N1 billion to the Nigerian Armed Forces to support operations in the North-East.
- The military support continued in January 2026, when the United States delivered supplies to Nigeria for counterterrorism and internal security operations.
Beyond equipment supplied by foreign partners, Nigeria has also pursued local defence production.
On April 4, 2026, Nairametrics reported that the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) signed a memorandum of understanding with EIB Group to support the domestic production of unmanned systems, military hardware and digital defence technologies.