Nigeria’s government says it approved the purchase of vehicles worth over 1.4 billion naira ($3m; £2.4m) for its northern neighbour, Niger, to help improve security.
It comes as Nigeria continues to struggle with rising insecurity as armed gangs step up attacks on communities and major roads, including kidnapping.
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Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed told journalists in the capital, Abuja, on Wednesday that this was “to enhance the capacity of the Niger Republic to protect its border territories with Nigeria”.
Nigeria and Niger, in addition to Cameroon and Chad, share long borders and are affected by jihadist insurgencies.
A leaked document showing payment details for the vehicles sparked public outrage, with Nigerians questioning the government's action while its debt continued to rise.
Some argued that the government’s pay dispute with university lecturers - which has led to closure of public universities for months - should have taken priority.
BBC