Nigeria buys N181 billion warplanes from the US

The United States Department of Defence has revealed the sale of 12 Super Tucano A-29 ground attack aircraft and weapons to Nigeria to help in its fight against terrorist group, Boko Haram.

According to a report by Reuters, the department made the revelation of the $593m (N181bn) deal to the US Congress on Monday, August 29, 2017.

The agreement to sell the high-tech aircraft to Nigeria was made months ago in April, with terms of the sale still undisclosed to the public.

The sale comes only a year after the United States, under former President Barack Obama, blocked Nigeria from acquiring the Super Tucano ground attack aircraft from Brazil.

This measure was taken after dissatisfaction with the government's reaction to allegations of human rights violations that trailed the military.

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This was after the military could not clear itself after an Amnesty International report in November 2016 accused it of the extra-judicial killing of 150 pro-Biafra protesters, as well as the killing of more than 300 Shiites by soldiers in Kaduna in 2015.

In accordance with the Leahy Law, the US defense sector is prohibited from providing military assistance to countries involved in human rights violations.

However, with the easing up of the embargo, the aircraft sale will help the Nigerian Air Force to properly replace the ailing alpha jet platform it's been using in the war against the relentless Boko Haram.