The Nigerian Army is seeking to deepen defence cooperation with Denmark, with a focus on intelligence sharing, tactical capabilities, border surveillance and professional military education.
The move comes as Nigeria confronts evolving security threats across its operational theatres.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, made the call on Friday, 16 October 2026, while receiving the Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Jens Hansen, and the Defence Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Laugesen, at Army Headquarters in Abuja.
The COAS emphasised that strategic international partnerships could strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and support regional stability through coordinated military engagement, expertise exchange and sustainable capacity development.
In a statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, he identified modern tactical capabilities, force protection, border surveillance, professional military education and knowledge exchange as potential areas of collaboration.
The proposed areas of cooperation are intended to improve operational effectiveness, particularly across the North-East and North-West theatres.
The Army Chief also stressed that sustainable security requires more than equipment and battlefield capability, highlighting institutional resilience, personnel welfare, rehabilitation and career development as essential to troop morale and combat readiness.
Earlier, Ambassador Hansen expressed Denmark’s readiness to expand security cooperation with Nigeria beyond existing maritime initiatives in the Gulf of Guinea to include direct engagement with the Nigerian Army.
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He identified tactical training, operational knowledge exchange and strategic capacity building as areas for further collaboration.
The Danish envoy commended the resilience and operational achievements of Nigerian troops, noting that security and stability are important foundations for economic growth and sustainable development.
He also conveyed Denmark’s condolences over military personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to mutually beneficial defence cooperation.
The engagement points to an opportunity to broaden Nigeria-Denmark security relations from maritime cooperation towards more direct army-to-army engagement.
The practical significance of any expanded partnership will depend on how both countries translate the proposed areas of collaboration into sustained capacity development, improved operational coordination and stronger responses to shared security challenges.
