NIGERIA has secured a bilateral agreement with Türkiye to train 200 members of its Special Forces, marking a significant step in deepening military cooperation between both countries.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, disclosed the development on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 held in Antalya, noting that the deployment would commence immediately upon his return to Nigeria. The developent followed discussions with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.
“I’ve had a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Defence, where we shared a lot of ideas on how to improve our relationship, defence-wise. Türkiye has improved dramatically in the production of military hardware. Nigeria is still developing, and we have agreed that we are going to partner so that we have a co-production of some of these items,” he said.
According to Musa, the agreement provides a training quota for 200 Nigerian Special Forces personnel, with broader plans for sustained military collaboration, noting that joint exercises between both countries are already scheduled, with the first expected later this year.
“We have a Special Forces training agreement. Türkiye has agreed to give us 200 Special Forces trainees, so as soon as I return, we are sending them here for training. We will continue to do a lot. There will be exercises. The first exercise is coming up later in the year. So, in so many areas of defence, we are going to work together,” Musa said.
The minister said Nigeria’s nearly 17-years battle against insurgency reflects a form of asymmetric warfare, noting that Türkiye has faced a comparable fight against terrorism for over four decades.
“Because of that, we will move into training, production, and improving on our defence, industrial production, and exchange of officers and soldiers,” he said.
The ICIR reported that when President Bola Tinubu appointed former Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, as defence minister in December 2025, many people were elated with the decision.
His appointment elicited high expectations largely because of his vast experience in counter-insurgency campaigns and how outspoken he was against terrorism.
However, Musa recently marked his 100 days in office, and the security situation across the nation has remained volatile, with renewed insurgent attacks, military casualties, and communities still under threat.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.