Turkey to train 200 Nigerian special forces soldiers under new defence deal

Nigeria and Turkey have struck a defence agreement to help Africa's most populous nation fight its 17-year-long jihadist insurgency, the Nigerian defence minister said on Saturday.

"We have agreed to move into training, production, improving on our defence industry cooperation," General Christopher Musa told Turkish media, according to the Anadolu agency.

Musa met with his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 over the weekend.

The Nigerian defence minister specified that 200 members of the Nigerian army's special forces would be sent to Turkey immediately for training.

The agreement also includes the establishment of "a major military training facility in Nigeria," according to a statement from Abuja on Sunday.

The two countries are also set to collaborate in areas including technology transfer, intelligence sharing and advanced surveillance.

Diversify security partners

Besides radical Islamists from Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province, Nigeria is also plagued by gangs of armed criminals known as bandits who pillage, kill and kidnap in the northwest.

The country also has to contend with the worsening security crisis across the Sahel — the vast region bordering the southern Sahara desert — which has allowed jihadists to expand across west Africa.

Nigeria's longstanding security woes have drawn the ire of the United States in recent months, withPresident Donald Trump claiming that the country's Christians face "persecution."

In an attempt to reduce its reliance on the US, Nigeria has sought to diversify its security partners.

Musa's Turkey trip comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu's visit in late January, the first by a Nigerian head of state in nine years.

Turkey is renowned for its inexpensive armed drones, of which it is the world's leading exporter.

"Turkey has improved dramatically regards production of military hardware and Nigeria is still developing," Musa said. “

The outcomes of this engagement mark a significant step forward in Nigeria–Türkiye (sic) defence relations," the Nigerian defence ministry added in a statement.