By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Nigeria has intensified its campaign against terrorism through a high-level strategic defence engagement with the Republic of Türkiye, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, led a senior delegation to Ankara on an official working visit beginning 26 January 2026.
The delegation included the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), General Christopher Gwabin Musa. The visit underscores the Federal Government’s determination to confront terrorism, banditry, insurgency, and other asymmetric threats through enhanced international cooperation, advanced military capabilities, and accelerated defence modernisation.
At the diplomatic level, President Tinubu engaged his Turkish counterpart in focused bilateral discussions aimed at converting shared security interests into actionable counter-terrorism outcomes.
These engagements culminated in the signing of nine (9) Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) spanning defence, technology, education, trade, media, and allied sectors. The agreements are designed to strengthen Nigeria’s access to advanced defence technologies, structured skills transfer, and institutional cooperation critical to sustaining long-term counter-terrorism operations.
Speaking on the significance of the visit, the Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, stated that the engagements reflect the President’s clear directive to decisively defeat terrorism and restore peace nationwide.
According to him, “This administration is committed to equipping the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the capabilities, partnerships, and technologies required to end terrorism and deny criminal elements freedom of action. Our engagements in Türkiye represent practical steps toward improving operational effectiveness and national self-reliance.”
In furtherance of defence and air power cooperation, the CAS and the HMOD visited major pillars of Türkiye’s defence industry—ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and HAVELSAN—under the Secretariat of Defence of Türkiye, alongside several high-level bilateral defence meetings.
These engagements enabled the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to review and optimise procurement programmes with emphasis on counter-terrorism requirements, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, precision strike platforms, sustainment and maintenance support, advanced training, research and development, and indigenous capacity building.
The visit is expected to deliver direct operational benefits to ongoing counter-terrorism efforts across multiple theatres of operation. The CAS’s objectives were centred on strengthening access to advanced aerospace technologies, mission-support systems, and sustainment solutions that enhance intelligence dominance, precision engagement, close air support, and rapid response in joint operations with surface forces.
These outcomes align with the CAS’s mission of building a more agile, lethal, and technology-driven air force capable of decisively degrading terrorist networks and protecting civilian populations. Enhanced air power remains critical to supporting ground forces, disrupting terrorist logistics, and restoring security to affected communities.
Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke reaffirmed the Nigerian Air Force’s unwavering commitment to national security, stating that “the Nigerian Air Force remains resolute in delivering smarter air power for safer communities. This strategic engagement strengthens our ability to support ground forces, dominate the air domain, and decisively neutralise terrorist threats confronting our nation.”
He assured Nigerians that the combined resolve of the President, the Ministry of Defence, and the Armed Forces of Nigeria will continue to translate into improved security, enabling economic recovery, national stability, and sustainable development.
