Russia hands Nigeria 12 attack helicopters after Buhari meets Putin

Russia and Nigeria inked a deal that will bolster the West African nation’s resolve to defeat insurgents and bandits wreaking havoc in different parts of the country.

A senior official at Russia’s federal military-technical cooperation service told the RIAnews agency that Moscow has agreed to supply 12 Mi-35 attack helicopters to Nigeria.

The contract was announced as Russia welcomed dozens of African heads of state to the southern Russian city of Sochi this week.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Russian President Vladmir Putin held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit and agreed to strengthen relations between both nations.

A summary of what both leaders discussed can be found here.

Russia is pushing for clout and influence on the African continent and sees Nigeria and South Africa–the two biggest economies in the region–as good places to start.