The Nigerian Police have recently added two more Bell 412EPs to bring their fleet of the type to six.  Serials 36576 and 36577 – test flown as N455ZT and N4554L – arrived last week in Lagos after shipment across the Atlantic.  Both aircraft are shown on the FAA register as 2011 builds and have yet to be cancelled from the “N” register.

The Nigerian Police fleet also includes two Bell 206s, three Bell 427s and recently acquired a Cessna Citation XLS jet.  They also have a Cessna Citation I and a Conquest II in storage.  A fourth Bell 427 crashed fatally in March 2012.

In 2005, the Federal Capital Authority also donated a Robinson R44 to the Nigeria Police, but it never entered service due to the lack of both suitable fuel and a type-rated pilot.

In 2010, the Government announced plans to acquire five Bell 429s for the Police, but this has not materialised to date.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com