Boosting Fight Against Terrorism: Nigeria To Send 200 Soldiers To Turkiye For Training

The Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd), has disclosed that Nigeria and Türkiye have reached an agreement for the immediate deployment of 200 Nigerian Special Forces for training in Türkiye.

Musa, who is in Turkish for the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026) in Antalya, Türkiye, said on Saturday, following discussions with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.

The three-day forum, themed: “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties,” which started on Friday, is attended by world leaders, ministers, and diplomats, among others.

The minister explained that following the agreement, Türkiye had allocated a training quota of 200 personnel from Nigeria’s Special Forces, who will be immediately deployed when the minister returns to Nigeria.

“We have a Special Forces training agreement. Türkiye has agreed to train 200 of our personnel, so as soon as I return, we are sending them here,” Gen Musa said.

“There will also be joint exercises, with the first scheduled later this year.”

The agreement is part of broader efforts by both countries to deepen defence cooperation, including plans for joint production of military equipment and the transfer of technology.

According to him, Nigeria aims to strengthen its defence capabilities by leveraging Türkiye’s experience in military hardware production and counterterrorism operations.

“Türkiye has improved dramatically in the production of military hardware. Nigeria is still developing, and we have agreed to partner on co-production of some of these items,” he said.

The Defence minister added that both countries would expand collaboration in training, defence industrial development, and personnel exchanges, noting their shared experience in combating insurgency and terrorism.

“While Nigeria has been dealing with asymmetric warfare for about 17 years, Türkiye has over 40 years of experience. We will benefit from shared knowledge and expertise,” Musa said.