US SECURITY ASSISTANCE TO NIGERIA: - Civilian Protection Gaps and Opportunities

Aerial surveys by the US Geological Survey reveal that land available for open grazing in Nigeria’s Middle Belt decreased by 38 percent between 1975 and 2013, while the land devoted to farming almost tripled.7 In tandem with the onset of desertification, the government issued significant land grants to landowners in the North West following the adoption of the Land Use Act of 1978 and 2004. [...] Foreign liaison officers with the NAF, along with representatives of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force International Affairs, the Air Force Security Assistance and Training Squadron, and the Nigerian A-29 program, visited the 81st FS to discuss the future of the program and meet with students. [...] In a 2022 Afrobarometer poll, crime and security ranked as the top concerns that Nigerians wanted the government to address.14 According to the poll, “Most respondents see abductions and kidnappings as a serious and increasing problem in the country, and a majority say the police are doing a poor job on this issue.”15 The same poll indicated that a majority of Nigerians fear crime in their homes a. [...] Nigeria appeared on the State Department’s list of countries where security forces used child soldiers from 2015 to 2018 and 2020 to 2021.44 The Congressional Research Service reports that the State Department did so due to the use of child soldiers by both state-backed militia and the “use of children, generally in support roles” in the Nigerian armed forces.45 Each year, the State Department wai. [...] Its mission is to thoroughly investigate allegations of human rights violations committed by national military personnel.78 In an effort to address insufficient doctrinal guidance and normative material guiding the Nigerian military on the conduct of operations, including the protection of civilians, the Chief of Defense Staff of the Nigerian Armed Forces inaugurated the Rules of Engagement (RoE).