Global conflicts blocking Nigeria's military arms purchases, defence minister says

Nigeria's Defence Minister General Christoph Musa (retired) has blamed the escalating conflicts between Israel and Iran, and between Russia and Ukraine, for creating bottlenecks in the country's military procurement process. Speaking at the Nigerian People's Strategic Conference on Defence and Exhibition 2026 in Abuja on Saturday, Musa explained that these global wars are restricting Nigeria's access to military hardware at a time when the nation faces mounting security challenges.

The minister stressed that the absence of a unified national database is compounding Nigeria's security difficulties. Without such a system, Musa said, security agencies—particularly the police—struggle to track criminals and prevent crime effectively across the country.

He flagged this gap as a significant obstacle to coordinated national security operations. Musa's comments point to a broader vulnerability: Nigeria's reliance on external sources for defence equipment leaves the country exposed when global supply chains fracture due to international conflict.

The minister indicated that strengthening domestic defence manufacturing capacity would reduce this dependency, though he did not specify timelines or investment details. The remarks come as Nigeria contends with persistent insecurity in multiple regions, from the northeast's Boko Haram insurgency to banditry in the northwest and central zones.

Musa's address highlighted how geopolitical tensions thousands of kilometres away are directly affecting the nation's ability to equip and resource its armed forces to respond to local threats.