Army boosts readiness with locally built combat vehicles

By Lawrence Agbo

The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has handed over 15 locally manufactured All-Terrain Combat Vehicles, codenamed ”Vanquisher”, to the Nigerian Army to boost operational efficiency and troop mobility in challenging terrains.

Chief of Policy and Plan Maj.-Gen. Babatunde Alabi represented Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shu’aibu, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), spoke at the handover ceremony in Kaduna and called it a historic moment in the development of the Armed Forces and evidence of Nigeria’s expanding defence manufacturing capability.

According to Shu’aibu, the handover was tangible proof of increasing local ability to produce vital military equipment.

”This aligns with our command’s philosophy of transforming the Nigerian Army into a professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force capable of operating effectively within a joint and multi-agency environment,” he said.

According to the COAS, his leadership was based on four pillars: operational readiness, strong administration, professional competence, and strategic collaboration with excellent leadership.

He claims that the recently delivered vehicles will greatly improve personnel survivability, manoeuvrability, and mission effectiveness in a variety of operational settings.

He pointed out that previous batches of the vehicles had been put through operational testing and shown to be dependable, which prompted the order to produce more units for deployment right away.

Shu’aibu emphasised the Army’s commitment to supporting domestic producers and praised DICON, Vanquish Industries Limited, and the Command Engineering Depot for their cooperation.

Speaking as well, Maj.-Gen. Babatunde Alaya, Director-General of DICON, stated that the transfer represented a significant advancement in defence independence.

According to Alaya, the 15 APCs that were turned over were among 20 ballistic-protected platforms that were made domestically in cooperation with Vanquish Industries Limited and the Command Engineering Depot.

He said that the vehicles were built with Nigeria’s operating environment in mind and set up for a variety of tasks, such as internal security operations, troop transportation, convoy escort, and surveillance.

Alaya added that local production would lower capital flight, generate revenue and create job opportunities for Nigerian engineers and skilled workers.

The Managing Director of Vanquish Industries Limited, Mr Zacharia Ndiriza, said the vehicles’ production showed that African businesses are capable of creating top-notch defence solutions.

According to him, the platform’s three fundamental tenets are protection, flexibility, and agility in response to changing operating realities.

Ndiriza thanked the leadership of the Armed Forces and the Federal Government for encouraging domestic defence production.

He reiterated the company’s dedication to innovation, research, and ethical manufacture in accordance with military standards.