Nigeria DM: Looted Libyan Weapons Found in Nigeria

Boko Haram Likely in Possession of Some of the Arms

Comments from Nigerian Defense Minister Olusola Obada confirmed today that weapons looted from Libya at the end of the NATO-sponsored civil war have found their way into Nigeria, and that Boko Haram is likely to be in possession of many of them.

Obada’s comments confirmed several previous reports to that effect, which said that Boko Haram was acquiring a number of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, that are being sold by weapons looters.

The thousands of missing SA-24 surface-to-air missiles have been a major concern, with experts saying that there were enough to turn the northern half of Africa into one big no-fly zone.

It is a story that is liable to be repeated many times across the region, as the sheer enormity of the number of missiles is going to mean they’ll be on the black market for years to come across the entire region. Reports have already traced the missiles as far east as Sinai.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.