The Nigerian Navy has graduated the pioneer set of its newly established Marine force, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s evolving security architecture and efforts to strengthen maritime and amphibious operations.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held on Friday, February 27, 2026, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, described the event as a defining moment in the history of the Nigerian Navy, noting that the creation of the Nigerian Navy Marines forms part of a broader strategy to enhance special operations capability across maritime, riverine, and inland theatres.
The CNS explained that the Marines were conceived under the Special Operations Command established eight months ago to enable precision operations, strategic interdictions, and counterterrorism missions. According to him, the elite force is designed to provide a highly trained, mobile, and versatile capability to secure riverine corridors, dominate littoral environments, and respond effectively to maritime-linked threats inland.
Vice Admiral Abbas noted that Nigeria’s security environment remained complex, characterised by maritime crime, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and violent extremism, stressing that the Marines represent a deliberate shift toward a modern, adaptive, and capability-driven naval force structure. He added that collaboration between the Nigerian Navy Marines and the Special Boat Service would strengthen amphibious operations and enhance mission delivery across the full spectrum of naval engagements.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to sustained collaboration with sister services and international partners through advanced training, acquisition of modern equipment, and improved rapid deployment capabilities to ensure enduring operational effectiveness.
The naval Chief also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for continued support to the Armed Forces, while commending defence authorities, the National Assembly committees on the Navy, and military leadership for their guidance. He further acknowledged the role of former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla (rtd), for pioneering the establishment of the Marine force.
Addressing the graduating personnel, the CNS urged them to remain disciplined, professional, and loyal to constituted authority, emphasizing that decisions taken at tactical levels often carry strategic implications for national security.
In his remarks as Special Guest of Honour, the Chief of Defence Staff ,CDS OO Oluyede described the graduation of the pioneer Marines as a decisive milestone in Nigeria’s maritime security evolution, noting the country’s strategic position within the Gulf of Guinea and the importance of safeguarding maritime commerce, coastal communities, and oil and gas resources.
The CDS said the Nigerian Navy had continued to demonstrate professionalism across internal waters, territorial seas, and the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone, adding that the establishment of the Marines bridges operational gaps between land and sea operations while strengthening joint force capabilities.
Oluyede commended Vice Admiral Abbas for consolidating the initiative initiated by his predecessor, stressing that continuity in military policy has contributed to successes recorded within Nigeria’s maritime domain. The CDS urged the new Marines to remain tactically innovative, disciplined, and committed to teamwork as they confront adaptive and unconventional threats.
Course highlights presented during the ceremony revealed that the Nigerian Navy Marines were formally established on June 1, 2025, as part of the Navy’s Transformation Agenda to enhance expeditionary and amphibious warfare capabilities. Members of the elite force are codenamed “Bushmen.”
The six-month Basic Marines Qualifying Course One, which commenced in August 2025, subjected participants to intensive physical conditioning, land warfare training, and amphibious operations designed to build resilience, tactical proficiency, and operational readiness in joint environments.
Training included high-intensity physical drills, jungle warfare tactics, advanced marksmanship, riverine insertion and extraction exercises, and a final joint operational exercise involving the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service and other combat elements.
At the ceremony, the Commandant of the Nigerian Navy Marine Training Centre, Commodore Olayinka Ayodele Aliu, formally inducted Lt. C.S. Orji and 327 other personnel into the First Nigerian Navy Marine Regiment, declaring them integral components of the Nigerian Navy Special Operations Command.
The commandant praised instructors, partner organisations, and support staff for their dedication in delivering the demanding programme, noting that the graduates had been transformed from ordinary sailors into elite Marines prepared for complex operational environments.
The ceremony concluded with a renewed commitment by military leadership to strengthen joint operations and enhance Nigeria’s maritime and national security posture under the Nigerian Navy’s motto, “Onward Together.”
