James Entwistle, the American ambassador to Nigeria said cases of human right by Nigerian troops in the north -east in the past years have stood out as a sore thumb as the United States considers the Nigerian military’s request for arms.
During a working visit to the American University of Nigeria, AUN at Yola, Mr. James Entwistle said, “Before we share equipment with any country, whether it is a government to government grant or a commercial sale that requires government approval, we look at a couple of things,” he explained, “Does it make sense in terms of that country’s needs?
“The second thing we look at is the human rights situation in that country. And as we look at equipment transfers, we look at the situation in those countries in the past few years. And as you all know, there have been instances (I’m not saying across the board) of human rights abuses by the Nigerian military in the North-East.
“So the kind of question that we have to ask is let’s say we give certain kinds of equipment to Nigerian military that is then used in a way that affects human situation. If I approve that, I’m responsible for that. We take that responsibility very seriously.”
