Nigeria is set to deepen its military cooperation with Türkiye following a new agreement that will see 200 members of the Nigerian Special Forces deployed for training abroad.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, disclosed this in an interview on the sidelines of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026) in Antalya, Türkiye, on Saturday, after talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler.
The three-day forum, themed “Mapping Tomorrow, Managing Uncertainties”, began on Friday and brought together world leaders, ministers, diplomats, and other key stakeholders from around the world.
Musa said Türkiye had approved a training quota for 200 Nigerian Special Forces personnel, who will be deployed immediately upon his return to Nigeria.
“We have a Special Forces training agreement. Türkiye has agreed to give us 200 Special Forces training, so as soon as I return, we are sending them here for training.
“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 assured.
He also revealed that both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in defence equipment production and military technology transfer.
According to him, Nigeria and Türkiye share a long-standing relationship, adding that Türkiye has been “like family” to Nigeria since 1960.
Musa said discussions with his Turkish counterpart focused on expanding defence collaboration and improving military capabilities through joint efforts.
“Türkiye has improved significantly in the production of military hardware, while Nigeria is still developing in that area”, he said, adding that both countries have agreed to explore joint production of selected defence equipment.
He added that the partnership will also include officer exchanges, joint training exercises, and broader collaboration in defence industrial development, noting that Nigeria’s long-running counterinsurgency experience and Türkiye’s decades of counterterrorism operations make the cooperation mutually beneficial.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum served as a platform for high-level discussions on global security, political developments, economic challenges, environmental issues, and emerging technologies, with participants drawn from about 150 countries, including heads of state and government, foreign ministers, senior diplomats, and thousands of delegates and media representatives.
