Foreign News
India, Nigeria Link Two Maritime Theatres
India and Nigeria are giving greater attention to maritime security as the two countries deepen defence cooperation, with a Nigerian Navy delegation preparing to visit India for the third Naval Sub Group Meeting.
The delegation, led by Rear Admiral AV Kujoh, recently called on Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Abhishek Singh. The discussions reviewed existing naval cooperation and explored further areas of bilateral defence engagement.
The latest engagement builds on several years of growing naval interaction between the two countries.
In September 2022, the Indian Navy’s INS Tarkash conducted a joint maritime exercise with Nigerian Navy patrol ships in the Gulf of Guinea during its anti-piracy deployment.
The exercise covered anti-piracy operations, assistance to vessels in distress, search and rescue, and maritime interdiction. It was the first joint operational deployment by the two navies in support of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea.
In October 2023, INS Sumedha made a port call at Lagos during its deployment to the Gulf of Guinea. The visit included professional interactions, planning conferences and a maritime partnership exercise with the Nigerian Navy. It was the Indian Navy’s second anti-piracy deployment to the Gulf of Guinea, and included engagement with navies from several West African countries.
The two countries subsequently placed maritime security more explicitly within their broader defence relationship. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nigeria in November 2024, India and Nigeria agreed to deepen cooperation in maritime security, intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism.
The two sides also agreed on coordinated action to protect maritime trade routes and combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean.
The Gulf of Guinea remains an important maritime security theatre for Nigeria. Piracy and other forms of maritime crime have made the security of shipping routes a continuing concern, while the region is also important for energy and commercial traffic.
For India, the region has relevance because of its energy and commercial links with West Africa. The Indian Navy has described the Gulf of Guinea as important to India’s national interests, including because of its significance for the country’s energy requirements.
The emerging naval relationship therefore has a practical focus: professional exchanges, operational experience, anti-piracy cooperation and greater interoperability between the two navies. The forthcoming Naval Sub Group Meeting provides another institutional mechanism for discussing that cooperation.
The relationship also extends beyond naval operations. India and Nigeria have maintained defence cooperation through training and capacity building, while both countries have identified counter-terrorism, organised crime and intelligence sharing as areas for closer engagement.
Nigeria’s position gives the relationship added importance within India’s Africa engagement. It is Africa’s most populous country and a major West African economy and energy producer. For Nigeria, closer defence ties with India provide another channel for military cooperation and capacity building.
The diplomatic relationship also acquired an additional dimension when Nigeria became a BRICS partner country from January 1, 2025. As a partner, Nigeria can participate in the BRICS summit and foreign ministers’ meeting, as well as other discussions subject to consultation and consensus.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026. Nigeria’s participation as a partner country provides another forum for engagement between the two countries, alongside their established bilateral channels.
The immediate significance of the naval delegation, however, lies in the consolidation of a defence relationship that has increasingly acquired a maritime component.
From the Gulf of Guinea deployments of INS Tarkash and INS Sumedha to the commitments made during Modi’s 2024 visit, maritime security has become a more regular element of India-Nigeria defence cooperation.
The third Naval Sub Group Meeting is the latest step in that process, providing an opportunity for the two sides to review existing cooperation and discuss its next phase.
