Nigeria and Turkey have signed a defence agreement aimed at strengthening efforts against Nigeria’s 17-year-long militant insurgency, minister said Saturday.
The deal covers training, production, and defence industry cooperation, Christopher Musa said in Antalya, according to Anadolu Agency reporting.
Two hundred Nigerian special forces personnel will be sent to Turkey for advanced military training, Musa confirmed in official remarks.
Nigeria continues to battle Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and armed bandits across its northwest regions where violence persists.
Worsening insecurity across the Sahel region has enabled militant groups to expand deeper across West Africa as instability continues growing.
The United States under President Donald Trump has criticised Nigeria alleging persecution of Christians in the conflict, claims widely rejected.
Washington has deployed about 200 soldiers and carried out airstrikes in Sokoto on Christmas Day last year in ongoing operations.
Nigeria is seeking to diversify its security partnerships aiming to reduce reliance on the United States through strategic foreign policy shifts.
Turkey is a leading global exporter of armed drones with expanding military production capabilities and a rapidly growing defence industry.
Musa said both countries agreed to jointly produce some military equipment under the new cooperation framework announced in official statements.
President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Turkey in January marked the first Nigerian head of state trip in nine years.
