Nigeria and Türkiye have agreed to set up a major military training facility in Nigeria as part of efforts to deepen defence cooperation and strengthen the country’s security system
The agreement was reached during bilateral talks between Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and his Turkish counterpart at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Defence Chief Information, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, the planned facility will serve as a long-term centre for military capacity building, with Nigeria already identifying a coastal site for its permanent location. A temporary site is also expected to be provided to commence early operations.
Under the arrangement, Nigerian military personnel will undergo specialised training in areas such as special forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, as well as United Nations pre-deployment exercises.
The statement noted that an initial batch of Nigerian troops will be deployed to Türkiye for training, alongside Turkish language instruction and participation in field exercises.
“The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), led a high-level Nigerian delegation to productive bilateral talks with the Turkish Minister of Defence at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.
“The delegation included the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy, the Defence Adviser and senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Embassy in Türkiye.
“Training and capacity development: Türkiye proposed structured, scalable training programmes for Nigerian armed forces in areas including Special Forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, and UN pre-deployment training.
“Immediate deployment of an initial cohort to Türkiye was agreed, alongside Turkish language instruction and participation in field training exercises.
“Both parties agreed to establish a major military training facility in Nigeria as a long-term centre of excellence; Nigeria will provide a temporary training site and has identified a suitable coastal location for permanent infrastructure.”
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