Nigeria and Türkiye have agreed to establish a major military training facility in Nigeria as part of a new defence partnership aimed at boosting the country’s security capabilities.
The agreement was reached during bilateral discussions between Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and his Turkish counterpart at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026.
According to a statement on Sunday by the Ministry of Defence Chief Information, Queeneth Iheoma-Hart, the proposed facility will serve as a long-term centre for military training and capacity development. Nigeria has already identified a coastal location for the permanent site, while a temporary facility will be used to begin early operations.
Under the arrangement, Nigerian military personnel will receive advanced training in areas including special forces operations, counterterrorism, intelligence integration, counter-drone and counter-IED operations, as well as United Nations pre-deployment exercises.
The statement also confirmed that an initial group of Nigerian troops will be sent to Türkiye for specialised training, which will include Turkish language instruction and 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.”
