Four Indian Army’s personnel drawn from the elite mobile training team (IA-MTT) are provided counter insurgency and counter terrorism (CTCOIN) operations training for 200 soldiers of the Nigerian Army’s infantry and special forces.
The training exercise which lasted for three months was conducted between January 22 and April 18 at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI).
Nigerian Army soldiers have been battling jihadists terror activities across the country’s northernmost region were taught the intricate nuances of guerrilla warfare, as well as small team operations to deal insurgents.
The Deputy Director of the Nigerian Army, the Director of Operations and the Director of Training made complementary remarks to the Indian Army team, appreciating their efforts.
Historically, defence cooperation has been an integral of the strategic partnership between India and Nigeria.
Shortly after Nigeria’s independence, India helped set up various military institutions including the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) at Kaduna, the Naval College at Port Harcourt, and othe military training formation.
In addition, several Nigerian officers have received military training in India such as former Nigerian Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and several other top military officers.
The incumbent President Muhammedu Buhari also attended the Defence Services Staff Course (DSSC) at Wellington in 1970s.
A bilateral MoU on Defence Cooperation was signed in October 2007, the agreement focused on counter terrorism and counter-intelligence (CT/CI), sea piracy and exchange of visits between training institutes.