Secret documents show UK govt knows Nigerian troops commit atrocities but it continues military aid to secure arms deals and oil supplies.

#British government officials believe there is “chronic corruption” among #Nigeria’s security forces and that many of the #HumanRights accusations against them are “true”. But they want #UK #military assistance to continue as the country represents a “potentially huge market” for arms sales.

That is Whitehall’s view of its key west African counter-terrorism ally, laid bare in a cache of secret UK documents obtained by Declassified. The papers were written last year, just months after Nigerian soldiers massacred 11 protesters in the port city of #Lagos in 2020.

They show #London was fully aware of the regime’s abusive nature but planned to continue offering “high risk” support to its armed forces, judging that “there would likely be minimal reporting from domestic media” in #Britain.
#Hypocrisy #Africa #Politics
https://declassifieduk.org/ghost-soldiers-britains-shadow-war-in-west-africa/