The Nigerian military has announced the deployment of 800 specially trained forces into operational theatres across the country to confront the escalating security challenges head-on.
This was disclosed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, during the Defence Training Conference 2025 held on Wednesday in Abuja. Themed “Performance-Oriented Training and Trends in the Contemporary Operating Environment,” the conference focused on enhancing joint military readiness in today’s volatile landscape.
General Musa stated that the troops—who will graduate next week—underwent a comprehensive training programme tailored to counter modern-day threats such as insurgency, terrorism, cyber warfare, and hybrid attacks.
“We will be deploying them together — a force that stays together, that will understand each other. From experience, a fighting force must be able to understand themselves,” Musa said.
He explained that fragmenting special forces during deployment often weakens their operational cohesion, hence the decision to send them as a unified tactical unit.
The CDS stressed that the threats facing Nigeria have become more complex, asymmetric, and technology-driven, necessitating a shift in military training doctrines.
“These threats range from insurgency and terrorism to the rise of cyber warfare, hybrid threats, and the proliferation of advanced weaponry,” he said.
General Musa highlighted the integration of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and advanced surveillance technologies into enemy tactics, calling for urgent military adaptability.
He further described the modern enemy as a fighter “with nothing to lose,” urging the military to prepare soldiers who are agile, aware, and prepared for unpredictable threats.
“These threats will determine a fundamental shift in how we undertake training, ensuring that our personnel are not just prepared for yesterday’s battles but are agile and adaptive enough to thrive in a dynamic operational environment,” he added.
Also speaking, Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shettima, said the conference aimed to foster synergy, update training approaches, and reinforce military professionalism.
Rear Admiral Shettima emphasised joint operations, simulation-based training, and the need to cultivate officers who are “factually proficient, internationally agile, and resilient.”
