President Bola Tinubu says four attack helicopters ordered from the United States will arrive in Nigeria soon as the government steps up efforts to confront worsening insecurity.
Tinubu disclosed this during a meeting with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by Archbishop Daniel Okoh, at his Lagos residence on Friday, December 26.
“Our orders for four attack helicopters from the United States of America will take some time to arrive. We have approached Turkey for assistance,” he said, noting that delays in military hardware delivery were affecting public confidence.
He reaffirmed that community and state policing “will be a reality” once the National Assembly finalizes the required legislation, adding that replacing and acquiring military equipment is costly and cannot be done instantly.
Tinubu insisted the government remains committed to restoring peace despite evolving guerrilla tactics by terrorists and bandit groups.
His comments came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that American forces conducted airstrikes in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, targeting ISIS-linked militants accused of carrying out mass killings of Christians.
The Nigerian government later confirmed the operation, stating it was conducted in cooperation with Nigeria.
“Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa said in a statement Friday, adding that the partnership resulted in “precision hits on terrorist targets in the North-West.”
Tinubu said Nigeria will keep strengthening its security capacity while pursuing new equipment and partnerships to counter insurgency and violent extremism.
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