Nigeria moves closer to acquiring 12 US-made AH-1Z viper attack helicopters

 

This development follows a high-level visit to the United States by Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, Chief of the Air Staff, who led a Nigerian delegation to a Programme Management Review Meeting held in San Diego, California, from June 9 to 13, 2025.

The meeting brought together senior U.S. government officials and representatives from Bell Textron, manufacturers of the helicopters, to assess progress and fine-tune the delivery timeline.

The visit marked a critical step in the procurement process, offering Nigerian defense officials direct engagement with their U.S. counterparts, including the United States Marine Corps—operators of the AH-1Z platform.

According to Air Marshal Abubakar, the meetings provided Nigeria with valuable insights into best practices for operating, sustaining, and supporting the AH-1Z, a platform known for its agility, precision strike capabilities, and battlefield survivability.

During the engagement, Air Marshal Abubakar expressed his deep appreciation to the U.S. Government, emphasizing the value of its longstanding strategic partnership with Nigeria.

“We are deeply grateful to the United States Government for its enduring strategic partnership with Nigeria.

“The acquisition of the AH-1Z Viper helicopters will significantly enhance the Nigerian Air Force’s combat effectiveness, operational efficiency, and mission readiness.”

The acquisition comes at a time when Nigeria is facing one of the most intense waves of terrorist violence in its history, with insurgent groups launching increasingly sophisticated attacks using advanced weaponry.

Deal closed after three years after initial request

This deal was first discussed in 2022, when Nigeria indicated interest in purchasing 12 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters from the United States.

After nearly three years of deliberation and diplomatic back-and-forth, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the sale, signaling a major milestone in Nigeria’s military modernization efforts.

Originally approved in April 2022, the full $997 million package includes engines, guided weapons, night vision systems, training, and logistics support as per Military Africa.

The delay was largely due to U.S. concerns over human rights issues, which had stalled similar arms sales in the past.

With regional security threats growing, the helicopters are expected to boost Nigeria’s counterinsurgency operations and mark a new phase in U.S.-Nigeria military cooperation.

The AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter

The AH-1Z Viper—also known as the "Zulu Cobra"—is one of the most advanced attack helicopters in the world, developed by Bell Helicopter for the United States Marine Corps. It is an upgraded variant of the AH-1W Super Cobra and is designed for precision strike missions, close air support, and battlefield reconnaissance

The platform features advanced avionics, weapons systems, and target acquisition technologies, making it one of the most capable attack helicopters in use today.

The AH-1Z Viper offers a multi-mission platform that combines lethal firepower, high survivability, and advanced situational awareness—making it a valuable asset in modern asymmetrical and conventional warfare.

The AH-1Z Viper features advanced targeting systems like FLIR and laser designation for precise day-and-night operations, along with radar and rangefinders for engaging ground and air threats.

Its weapons include a 20mm rotary cannon, Hellfire missiles, Hydra rockets, Sidewinder missiles, and other munitions, making it a versatile and lethal combat platform.

For Nigeria, it represents a significant leap in combat aviation capability, especially in counterinsurgency, anti-terrorism, and border security operations.

As Nigeria continues to modernize its armed forces, the AH-1Z deal symbolizes deepening military cooperation between Abuja and Washington and reflects growing U.S. support for Nigeria’s security and counterterrorism efforts in the West African region.

By Solomon Ekanem, Business Insider Africa

Death toll from an attack by gunmen in north-central Nigeria reaches 150

The death toll from an attack by gunmen over the weekend in north-central Nigeria has climbed to 150, survivors said Monday as the villagers were still digging through burned homes, counting their dead and looking for dozens of people still missing.

Assailants stormed Benue state’s Yelewata community late on Friday night, opening fire on villagers who were asleep and setting their homes ablaze, survivors and the local farmers union said. Many of those killed were sheltering in a local market after fleeing violence in other parts of the state.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the killings, but such attacks are common in Nigeria’s northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The prolonged conflict has become deadlier in recent years, with authorities and analysts warning that more herdsmen are taking up arms.


The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, whose government has fallen short of expectations in ending the country’s deadly security crises, described the Benue attack as “senseless bloodletting” while his office said he would visit the stricken community on Wednesday.

Titus Tsegba, who lost his wife and four of his children in the attack, said more than 20 bodies were recovered on Monday. The initial death toll was reported to be 100 on Saturday.

His wife and children — the youngest 8 and the oldest 27 — were “burned into ashes beyond recognition,” he told The Associated Press, adding that he survived because he was sleeping in another part of the community.

“Everything is gone,” he said.

Benue Deputy Gov. Sam Ode said he suspected the perpetrators were herdsmen. Ode and the survivors spoke to the AP by phone.

The gunmen made it difficult for many to flee after surrounding the Yelewata community, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the state capital of Makurdi, said Jacob Psokaa, who lost his 55-year-old father in the attack.

“They were coming from different sides at the same moment … it was sporadic shooting,” Psokaa said. “The situation is very bad now with many people in the ground … your people leaving you suddenly.”

The gunmen also burned food stores in the local market, razing a year’s harvest that included rice and yam, staple food mainly exported from Benue to other parts of Nigeria.

“Enough is enough!” said Tinubu, the president. “I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict, and prosecute them.”

By Chinedu Asadu, AP

Related story: Video - At least 45 killed by gunmen in Nigeria’s Benue state

Video - At least 45 killed by gunmen in Nigeria’s Benue state

The spokesperson for Benue state's governor's said armed bandits attacked Yelwata town early on Saturday, killing 45 people. A police spokesperson confirmed the attack, saying they had engaged suspects in a gun battle. The attacks are the latest violence to hit Benue, a state facing land disputes.

CGTN

Related story: Police break up Nigeria protest as anger mounts over killings in southern state

Video - Nigeria, FAO back on $135,000 injection to boost aquaculture

Nigeria, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, is investing approximately $135,000 into the aquaculture sector. The initiative will support 40 small- and medium-sized fish farms, aiming to boost local fish production and reduce the country's $1.2 billion fish import costs.

CGTN

Police break up Nigeria protest as anger mounts over killings in southern state

Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the central city of Makurdi on Sunday, as anger mounted over the killing of dozens of people by gunmen in a nearby town.

Gunmen attacked the village of Yelewata on Friday night in a region that has seen a surge in violence amid clashes between Muslim Fulani herders and mostly Christian farmers competing for land and resources.

Police fired tear gas to break up a protest by thousands of people, witnesses said, as demonstrators called on the state’s governor to act swiftly to halt the cycle of violence.

“The protesters were given specific time by the security to make their peaceful protest and disperse,” Tersoo Kula, spokesperson for Benue state’s governor, told AFP.

John Shiaondo, a local journalist, said he was covering the “peaceful protest” when the police moved in and started firing tear gas.

“Many people ran away for fear of injuries, and I also left the scene for my safety,” he told AFP.
Joseph Hir, who took part in the protest, said people were protesting the killings in Benue when the police intervened.

“We are not abusing anyone, we are also not tampering with anybody’s property, we are discharging our rights to peacefully protest the unabated killings of our people, and now the police are shooting tear gas at us,” he told AFP.

Benue state governor Hyacinth Alia told a news conference late Sunday that the death toll had reached 59 in Yelewata, though residents said the toll could exceed 100.

“We will move very quickly to set up a five-man panel... to enable us find out who the culprits are, to know who the sponsors are and to identify the victims and to see how justice will be applied,” Alia said.
Amnesty International put the death toll at more than 100.

The rights group called the attack “horrifying,” saying it “shows the security measures (the) government claims to be implementing in the state are not working.”

Pope Leo XIV also condemned the killings, in comments during his Sunday prayer in Rome, calling it a “terrible massacre” in which mostly displaced civilians were murdered with “extreme cruelty.”
He said “rural Christian communities” in Benue were victims of incessant violence.

Authorities typically blame such attacks on Fulani herders but the latter say they are targets of violence and land seizures too.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in a statement Sunday night he had “directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.

“Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings,” he said.

Governor Alia said earlier that “tactical teams had begun arriving from the federal government and security reinforcements are being deployed in vulnerable areas.”

“The state’s joint operational units are also being reinforced, and the government will not let up its efforts to defend the lives and property of all residents,” he said.

Attacks in the region, part of what is known as the central belt of Nigeria, are often motivated by religious or ethnic differences.

Two weeks ago, gunmen killed 25 people in two attacks in Benue state.

More than 150 people were killed in massacres across Plateau and Benue states in April.

AFP