The Nigerian Navy on Friday inducted 328 personnel into its newly established Marine unit, in a move to safeguard Nigeria’s $16.6 billion offshore oil and gas assets and reinforce maritime security across the Gulf of Guinea.
The pioneer Marines, codenamed “Bushmen,” completed six months of intensive training conducted by the United States Special Forces, undergoing demanding aerial, ground and amphibious drills designed to prepare them for complex combat and rapid-response missions.
Speaking at the induction ceremony at the Nigerian Navy Town, Ojo, Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Defence Staff, described the graduation as a “decisive milestone” in Nigeria’s evolving maritime security framework.
According to him, the creation of the Marine unit fills a longstanding operational gap between land and sea forces, particularly as Nigeria confronts emerging asymmetric threats in its coastal and offshore domains.
“Nigeria sits at a strategic crossroads in the Gulf of Guinea. The establishment of the Nigerian Navy Marines is a systemic and timely evolution in adapting our strengths to meet contemporary challenges on our shores,” Oluyede said.
He noted that although the Navy has sustained strong patrols from inland waterways to the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), increasing incidents of maritime crime and attacks linked to oil infrastructure demand a more integrated and mobile response capability.
The CDS said the Marines would strengthen the Armed Forces’ capacity to protect critical national assets, secure coastal communities, and ensure uninterrupted socio-economic activities tied to maritime trade and hydrocarbon production.
“Your mettle will be tested..Remain tactically innovative and decisive. Uphold teamwork as your shield and discipline as your compass”, he told the new force.
Oluyede also stressed the need for continued synergy among the armed services, security agencies and maritime stakeholders to consolidate recent gains recorded in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Idi Abbas, Chief of the Naval Staff, said the Marines were created under the Navy’s Special Operations Command to provide a highly mobile and versatile force capable of securing riverine corridors, dominating littoral spaces and supporting inland operations where maritime-linked threats surface.
He explained that the Special Operations Command was established eight months ago to enhance precision strikes, counterterrorism missions and strategic interdictions.
“The establishment of the Marines reflects the Navy’s strategic vision for an adaptive, modern and capability-driven force structure.
“The synergy between the Marines and the Special Boat Service will provide the amphibious depth and precision delivery required across the full spectrum of naval operations”, Abbas said.
He pledged sustained investment in advanced training, modern equipment and rapid deployment capabilities to ensure the unit delivers what he described as “enduring and decisive operational effects.”
Olayinka Aliu, Commandant of the Nigerian Navy Marines Training Centre, disclosed that the squad was formally established on June 1, 2025, as a light infantry and special operations-capable force.
He said the pioneer Basic Marines Qualifying Course, which commenced in August 2025, was a six-month intensive programme covering physical conditioning, land warfare and amphibious operations, culminating in a joint exercise with the Navy’s Special Boat Service and other combat units.
Aliu explained that the curriculum was deliberately structured to be rigorous and comprehensive, incorporating endurance drills, amphibious manoeuvres, marksmanship, close-quarters battle, survival techniques and small-team tactics.
The land and jungle warfare phase, conducted in Oode, Ogun State, was designed to produce Marines who are “physically robust, tactically versatile and mentally resilient,” he added.
