Nigeria is set to boost its military strength as Turkey agrees to train 200 elite Nigerian special forces personnel in a fresh defence collaboration aimed at tackling insecurity.
Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, revealed the development after high-level talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, on the sidelines of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026).
“We have a special forces training agreement. Türkiye has agreed to give us 200 special forces training, so as soon as I return, we are sending them here for training,” a NAN report quoted the minister as saying.
“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.”
Beyond training, both countries are also moving toward joint production of military equipment and technology transfer, a move expected to strengthen Nigeria’s defence capabilities.
“I’ve had a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Defence, where we shared a lot of ideas on how to improve on our relationship, defence-wise,” the minister said.
“Türkiye has improved dramatically with regard to the production of military hardware.
“Nigeria is still developing, and we have agreed that we are going to partner together so that we have a co-production of some of these items.”
Musa noted that the partnership is driven by shared security challenges, especially the ongoing fight against terrorism.
“Because of that, we will move into training, production and improving on our defence, industrial production, and exchange of officers and soldiers,” the minister said.
Turkey has increasingly positioned itself as a key ally in Nigeria’s security efforts, with both nations deepening ties through multiple agreements signed earlier this year during President Bola Tinubu’s visit.
