By Iqrom Tesilim
Nigeria will immediately send 200 Special Forces operatives to Türkiye for specialized training following a new bilateral defence agreement, according to the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa.
Musa revealed the development on Saturday during an interview granted on the sidelines of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, after holding talks with Türkiye’s Minister of National Defence, Yasar Guler.
Read Related News Update
Nigeria secures french support for military equipment, training
Benue Gov rejects self-defense, backs community policing
Army rescues 13 kidnapped Benue bus passengers
He explained that Türkiye has approved a training allocation for 200 members of Nigeria’s Special Forces. The deployment will begin once he returns from the forum.
“We have concluded a Special Forces training arrangement. Türkiye has agreed to train 200 of our Special Forces, and we will send them here for the programme as soon as I get back to Nigeria,” Musa stated.
He added that the partnership goes beyond training. Both countries plan to conduct joint military exercises, with the first one scheduled for later this year. “There is a lot we will continue to do together. In several areas of defence, we are going to work closely,” he said.
Musa also confirmed that Nigeria and Türkiye reached an understanding on joint production of defence equipment and military technology transfer. He pointed out that Türkiye’s long experience in counter-terrorism offers key lessons for Nigeria.
Türkiye has been dealing with terrorism for four decades, while Nigeria’s fight against insurgency spans about 17 years.
“Türkiye has made significant progress in manufacturing military hardware. Nigeria is still building capacity in that area, and we have agreed to partner so we can co-produce some of these items,” the minister said.
According to him, the collaboration will cover training programmes, defence industrial production, and exchange of personnel. “Because of this agreement, we will move into training, production, and strengthening our defence industrial base, including the exchange of officers and soldiers,” Musa added.
For More News Details, Visit New Daily Prime
