Nigeria has secured a defence training agreement with Türkiye for the deployment of 200 Special Forces personnel, according to the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa.
Mr Musa disclosed this on Saturday during an interview on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 held in Antalya, Türkiye, following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.
He said Türkiye had approved a training quota for 200 Nigerian Special Forces, who would be deployed immediately after necessary arrangements.
“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,” Mr Musa said.
“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,” he added.
Defence cooperation
Mr Musa further revealed that both countries had agreed to deepen military cooperation through joint production of defence equipment and technology transfer.
“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,” he said.
“Türkiye has improved dramatically in 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.”
Shared experience
Highlighting historical ties, Mr Musa noted that relations between Nigeria and Türkiye date back decades.
“Since 1960, Türkiye has been like family to Nigeria,” he said.
He added that both countries share similar security experiences, noting that Nigeria has battled insurgency for about 17 years, while Türkiye has confronted 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,” Mr Musa stated.
Global forum
The three-day forum, themed “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties,” brought together global leaders, ministers, and diplomats to discuss pressing international issues.
Participants from about 150 countries, including heads of state, foreign ministers, and policy experts, attended sessions covering defence, security, economic, and technological challenges.
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