·Chinese-donated equipment leaves Nigeria for Sierra Leone as bloc prepares operational take-off
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has begun the long-delayed movement of critical military and logistics equipment from Nigeria to Sierra Leone, in what could mark the first major practical step towards the deployment of the bloc’s planned regional counter-terrorism force by the middle of 2027.
The development comes as the regional organisation races to assemble the logistics, communications and field infrastructure required to make the force operational amid escalating terrorist threats across West Africa.
A substantial consignment of equipment donated by the Chinese government to support ECOWAS peace-support operations has remained in storage in Nigeria for several years because the regional logistics facility meant to receive and deploy the materials was not ready.
But with the inauguration of the ECOWAS logistics depot at Lungi, Sierra Leone, the bloc said the equipment can now finally be moved out of Nigeria and put into operational use.
The equipment includes vehicles, cargo and water carriers, communications and command-and-control systems, audiovisual materials, camp equipment and training-related items.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Internal Services, Dr. Habiba Bappah and Commissioner for Political Affairs and Security, Ambassador Abdeel-Fatau Musah, who spoke during an inspection tour of ECOWAS military wares stored at the Mogadishu Barracks, Abuja, said the movement of the equipment to Sierra Leone was critical to the regional bloc’s preparations for the deployment of its counter-terrorism brigade.
Musah disclosed that ECOWAS was working towards deploying the regional counter-terrorism force by the middle of 2027, making the movement of the long-stored equipment a matter of operational urgency.
According to him, some of the equipment would be used to establish mobile field headquarters for the force, while communications, camp and training equipment would provide essential support for troops operating in areas affected by terrorism.
“This equipment has stayed here for long time because the logistics depot was not ready. Today, it has been launched, and it is time to move this equipment out of the cantonment,” he said.
The relocation will see the equipment transported from Nigeria to the ECOWAS logistics depot at Lungi in Sierra Leone, from where it can be distributed for regional operations and to member states requiring urgent security assistance.
The development is particularly significant for countries on the frontline of the expanding terrorist threat.
On his part, Bappah said some of the equipment would be sent to Benin Republic, which has emerged as one of the coastal West African states confronting increasing terrorist attacks and infiltration from the Sahel.
He said the deployment of the equipment would strengthen the ability of member states to confront terrorism while supporting ECOWAS efforts to establish a coordinated regional response.
The logistics movement also provides a practical foundation for the planned counter-terrorism brigade, whose effectiveness will depend heavily on the availability of transport, communications, command-and-control infrastructure, field accommodation and other support systems.
The ECOWAS delegation commended Nigeria for keeping the Chinese-donated equipment in its custody for years and for now facilitating its relocation.
The officials said Nigeria’s decision to store the equipment had prevented the materials from being lost or otherwise rendered unavailable for regional operations, even though the space occupied by the equipment could have been used for other purposes.
As a gesture of appreciation, ECOWAS donated part of the equipment to the Nigerian Armed Forces, including three SUVs and other vehicles, describing the donation as symbolic recognition of Nigeria’s contribution to regional peace and security.
The ECOWAS officials also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Armed Forces for what they described as Nigeria’s sustained commitment to regional peace, security and development.
They recalled Nigeria’s historic role in ECOWAS interventions across West Africa, including its military and diplomatic contributions to efforts aimed at restoring constitutional order and preventing conflicts.
The officials specifically cited Nigeria’s intervention in Benin Republic in November 2025, when Nigerian forces moved to support the country and help avert an attempted coup.
Bappah said Nigeria’s contribution to the regional integration project went far beyond individual security operations, describing the country as a critical pillar of stability in West Africa since ECOWAS was established in 1975.
He said the vehicles being donated to Nigeria were only a small symbolic gesture compared with the country’s decades-long contribution to the regional organisation.
The movement of the Chinese-donated equipment nevertheless signals a shift from planning to practical preparation for the proposed regional force.
For ECOWAS, the immediate challenge is now to ensure that the equipment reaches the Lungi depot, is distributed to the appropriate operational theatres and is integrated into the command, communications and logistical structure required to support the force before its targeted mid-2027 deployment.
With terrorism continuing to spread towards West Africa’s coastal states, the successful redeployment of the equipment could become a critical test of ECOWAS’s ability to translate its regional security commitments into a functioning collective counter-terrorism capability.