Nigeria not under threat – Military explains UN vehicles, equipment in Benin  

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has responded to social media videos showing United Nations fighting vehicles and equipment sighted in Benin City , the Edo state capital.

 According to a statement released on Tuesday by Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, acting director of defence information, the sighting has sparked rumours and panic.

He clarified, however, that Nigeria contributes troops to United Nations peacekeeping, the most recent being the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Southern Sudan.  The Defence spokesperson explained that the mission is led by a Nigerian, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, and that the United Nations does not have its own troops.

He explained that the international organisation typically enters into agreements with nations to provide personnel and equipment for its various missions.