The United States (US) has signed off on a fresh $346 million weapons deal for Nigeria, a package loaded with bombs, missiles, and high-tech war gear aimed at tightening the country’s grip on terrorists and smugglers.

America’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on Wednesday that the greenlighted deal will arm

Nigeria with precision bombs, rocket systems, and other lethal ammunition to boost counter-terror operations at home and clamp down on illicit trafficking across the Gulf of Guinea.

On the shopping list: 1,002 MK-82 general-purpose 500 lb bombs, 1,002 MXU-650 Air Foil Groups, 5,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II warheads, MK66-4 rocket motors, plus a mix of other deadly military hardware.

It’s not just bombs. The package also includes programmable fuzes, bomb components, high-explosive and practice rockets, support gear, and logistics backup from US experts and contractors.

Defence giants Lockheed Martin, RTX Missiles and Defence, and BAE Systems are handling the supply.

This isn’t Nigeria’s first big-ticket arms purchase from Washington. In 2022, the US okayed a $997 million deal for attack helicopters, night vision systems, and thousands of precision-guided weapon kits.

“This proposed sale will strengthen a key partner in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the DSCA said, adding that the hardware will help Nigeria hit terror groups harder and choke off trafficking routes on land and sea.