The Nigerian Ministry of Defence is restructuring its technology infrastructure to integrate artificial intelligence into national security operations and modernize the country’s border defences.
Minister of Defence General Christopher Gwabin Musa led a high-level delegation of senior ministry officials to Monaco in May to evaluate the practical applications of the Multi-Domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield, a sensor-driven defence platform. The visit followed the signing of a $190 million Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defence and UK-based technology firm MARSS Group in March. The multi-year agreement aims to deploy an advanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence infrastructure across Nigeria.
Delegations from the ministry and the domestic implementation partner, MPS Mikopowers, conducted technical evaluations and observed live operational demonstrations of systems designed to mitigate asymmetric threats. The defence minister said the government is committed to modernizing the armed forces through strategic partnerships, local capacity development, technology transfer and sustainable defence industrial cooperation.
During the demonstrations, the delegation assessed real-time radar detection, AI-enabled threat identification, mobile surveillance setups and drone interception systems. The long-term plan calls for these systems to feed into a network consisting of a primary national command centre and multiple interconnected regional hubs. To ensure the Nigerian military can maintain the platforms independently, the initiative includes establishing a Centre of Excellence focused on tactical simulation, operational doctrine development and continuous operator training.
The core software engine driving the network is NiDAR, an AI-powered command-and-control platform developed by MARSS Group. The software is sensor-agnostic, meaning it processes and unifies data streams from separate hardware components — including legacy radar systems, thermal imaging cameras and sonar inputs — into a single interface, providing 360-degree situational awareness across air, land, maritime and subsurface domains.
The integration is intended to address vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s current security posture. Security forces face challenges including organized terrorism in the northeast, piracy, cross-border smuggling and illegal mining operations in remote regions. The border system connects with Nigeria’s ongoing domestic defence initiatives.
In April, the Ministry of Defence initiated field testing for secure, military-grade communication hardware engineered by DefComm, a local defence technology startup. The hardware was previously integrated into the command architecture of the AEGIS-X light tactical vehicle, built locally by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria under the XSHIELD-DICON modernization programme. Combining local tactical networks with broader aerospace surveillance is intended to allow different security agencies to share information in real time.
The acquisition marks a broader shift toward technology-driven security investment in West Africa. A report published by the Institute of Development Studies in March found that Nigeria spent $470 million on smart public surveillance assets — accounting for nearly 23% of the total $2.1 billion spent by 11 African nations on smart surveillance infrastructure. While earlier urban programmes relied heavily on soft loans and packaged infrastructure from Chinese vendors, the current defence procurement models prioritize modular, sovereign software architectures intended to protect national data integrity.
By combining the wide-area tracking of the Hybrid Intelligence Shield platform with local encryption tools from DefComm, the military intends to establish a multi-domain defence network capable of moving from reactive monitoring toward predictive, automated threat detection. The next phase of the programme involves the physical installation of initial regional sensor arrays and the arrival of the first technical training cadres at the new Centre of Excellence.
