The Canadians Are Sending Nigeria Surveillance Equipment

To combat the Boko Haram insurgency and find more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls taken by the Islamic extremist group in April, the Canadian government is officially sending the Nigerians surveillance equipment.

“We’ve offered support to the Nigerian government,” said Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in the Canadian House of Commons. “If Canada has surveillance equipment that is not in the region that could help find these young girls, and the technical expertise to operate that equipment, they have our full support.”

Baird added that any Canadian military technology going over to Nigeria will be with “the Canadians who could properly operate it,” dismissing fears of surveillance technology falling into the wrong hands.

The Canadian government was forced to respond to media reports after Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo told local media he directly asked Canada for surveillance technology to battle the growing insurgency in the oil-rich nation.

“As we approach elections, we should not play politics with serious matters of state such as security,” said Sambo. “[I] pleaded for support and assistance from Canada in areas of surveillance equipment and other vital security hardware that would enhance Nigeria’s capacity to address insurgency.”

Earlier in the week, Sambo met with Canadian Development Minister Christian Paradis in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, pressing his Canadian counterpart for material assistance against terrorism.

Though Baird mentioned the kidnapped girls as the major reason for sending the surveillance equipment, Sambo's government plans to use the technology to combat the terrorist organization more broadly.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office confirmed the surveillance equipment will be provided to the Nigerian government and he briefly addressed the issue in the House.

“There have been discussions between our government authorities in Nigeria and we're willing to provide a range of assistance, and that offer remains open,” Harper said.

What the "surveillance equipment" actually is remains to be seen. The Canadian government has been tight lipped about the operation and revealed few details about the equipment.

Canada isn't the only country sending help. The US government announced it would send army and law enforcement personnel for intelligence gathering, while British government sources told the Guardian the UK is prepared to send the special forces and surveillance aircraft to help fight Boko Haram.