Mansur Dan-Ali, minister of defence, says Nigeria is considering the purchase of Russian military equipment.
According to NAN, Dan-Ali on Thursday said the country is interested in MiG fighters, Yak-130 aircraft, artillery equipment and armoured vehicles.
“The Russian equipment that could be of our interest are MiG fighters and some artillery equipment,” he said.
“We are here [at International Army Games-2017] to have a look. We have identified some items, like the Kalashnikov modern, new rifles and also avionics, helicopters and some other mine-resistant protected vehicles.
“We also looked at the [Yak-]130 jet and also we are thinking how to go about it. We just had a look and now when we go back home we look at some of its specifications before we sit down for negotiations.
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“Basically, we have gone for Mi-35 helicopters last year. We have taken two already and are expecting to get another two early next year. All in all, we have about 12 of them.”
He also said Nigeria is planning to take part in the 2018 international army games.
“We shall participate in the International Army Games. As I have said earlier, this agreement that we have just signed entails closer cooperation between the two states,” he said.
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“We are looking at exchange programs, training and exercises. Since 2006, we have been pushing for it in order to facilitate training of personnel and exchanges of ideas between our two militaries.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Dan-Ali had met with Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, on the sidelines of the 2017 international army games and invited Nigeria to participate in the game next year.
The two countries then signed an inter-governmental agreement on military cooperation.
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