Abuja, June 19 (IANS) In a significant move towards enhancing defence partnership, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Abhishek Singh met Nigerian Defence Minister, Christopher Gwabin Musa, and discussed the ongoing progress in bilateral defence cooperation.

In a statement shared on X on Friday, the Indian High Commission in Abuja posted: “HC Abhishek Singh met H.E. General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), Honourable Minister of Defence of Nigeria, on the sidelines of a diplomatic event today and briefed him on the ongoing developments in India–Nigeria defence cooperation."

According to the Indian High Commission, the Nigerian Defence Minister welcomed the momentum in the bilateral collaboration between India and Nigeria, reiterating his commitment to deepen defence ties.

“The Defence Minister expressed satisfaction with the progress of the ongoing collaboration and reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening bilateral defence ties and appreciated the recent visit of the National Defence College delegation from India to Nigeria, underscoring the growing strategic partnership between the two countries,” it added.

Earlier this month, a delegation from the National Defence College, New Delhi, commenced a geostrategic tour of Nigeria.

“The National Defence College, New Delhi delegation, led by Anvita Sinha, IRPS, Senior Directing Staff and comprising 14 senior officers, including international participants from Egypt, Morocco, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan, commenced its geo-strategic tour of Nigeria (1–5 June 2026) with a courtesy visit to the High Commission,” the Indian High Commission in Abuja posted on X.

“The High Commissioner Abhishek Singh provided a comprehensive briefing on the growing India–Nigeria partnership and discussed key regional and global developments,” it added.

The delegation visited the Nigerian Ministry of Defence and was received by Olaniyi B.O., Director, Joint Services Department, alongside other directors of the ministry. They were comprehensively briefed on Nigeria’s defence policy, its evolution, implementation challenges, and future direction.

The delegation also paid a courtesy call on Richard P. Pheelangwa, Permanent Secretary, Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence, to discuss emerging areas of collaboration and deepen defence cooperation between the armed forces of India and Nigeria.

Furthermore, the Indian delegates also visited Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and Service Headquarters. Following briefings on Nigeria’s defence and security policy at DHQ and the organisation and roles of the services at the respective service headquarters, the delegation interacted with senior Nigerian military leaders.

According to the Indian High Commission, the discussions focused on strengthening India-Nigeria defence cooperation and exploring collaborative approaches to emerging security challenges.

--IANS

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