By Anwar Usman
Nigeria has signed fresh security deal with Türkiye to help in its fight against insecurity.
The Daily Reality reports that nine fresh agreements were signed between Türkiye and Nigeria on Tuesday in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The agreements were signed following deliberations between the two countries and delegation-level meetings at the Presidential Palace in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara.
The two countries signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding MoU covering cooperation in diaspora policy, media and communication, higher education, halal accreditation, military cooperation, and cooperation with diplomatic academies. Both sides also adopted a joint declaration establishing the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).
While pledging support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism President Erdogan said Ankara reviewed options for closer cooperation in military training and intelligence during talks with President Tinubu.
President Bola Tinubu is on an official visit to Türkiye from January 26 to 28, during which the two countries are expected to sign cooperation deals and hold meetings with business and defence industry leaders to deepen bilateral ties.
“We are ready to share Türkiye’s significant experience in counterterrorism,” Erdogan said, noting that terrorist groups, particularly in Africa’s Sahel region, pose a threat to the continent’s stability.
While addressing a joint press conference on Tuesday, following the talks in Ankara, Erdogan said deliberations also covered trade, energy, investment, education and the defence industry, reiterating both countries’ commitment to achieving a $5 billion bilateral trade volume.
The two sides signed a defence agreement called “Protocol on Military Cooperation”. Türkiye has become a primary alternative to Western and Eastern arms suppliers for Nigeria with the two countries signing a Defence Industry Cooperation (Oct 2021) which provided the legal framework for Nigeria to purchase Turkish military hardware, including Bayraktar TB2 drones, T129 ATAK helicopters, and Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).
The latest part of the deal was Military Training & Intelligence Agreement (2026) – officially categorised as a Military Cooperation Protocol- allows for Turkish experts to train Nigerian Special Forces and share satellite intelligence for counter-terrorism operations against groups like Boko Haram.
It was gathered that the protocol focuses on three primary areas designed to address Nigeria’s internal security challenges. The Intelligence Sharing (Real-Time) aspect focuses on establishing a direct “intelligence bridge” between the Nigerian National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT). This focuses on tracking the movement of illicit arms and monitoring the digital activities of insurgent groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.