Nigeria

Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria was home to three prominent empires prior to colonization by Europe. The Igbo Kingdom of Nri prospered from the 10th century until it lost its sovereignty to Britain in the early 20th century. The Yoruba Kingdoms of Ife and Oyo gained prominence during the 12th and 14th centuries, and holding sway over their territories until the late 18th century when power shifted to the Benin Empire. The Sokoto Caliphate of the north arose during the 19th century, and was one of the most powerful sub-Saharan empires in Africa prior to colonization of the contingent by European nations. The caliphate prospered until 1903, when pressure from European nations causes its overall decline. Britain was the first European nation to seek control over the land that is now Nigeria. On 1 January 1901, the region became a British protectorate, and in 1914 was renamed the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, administered as separate northern and southern provinces. Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. Following the wave of African nationalism that began to take root in the 1950s, Nigeria began pressing for independence and was finally granted this by Britain in 1960.

Almost immediately the northern and southern regions of Nigeria began expressing their divergent cultural and religious identities in the form of three predominating political parties: the Nigerian People's Congress (NPC) in the Islamic north, the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in the largely Christian south, and the Yoruba-dominated Action Group (AG). In 1961, Southern Cameroon opted to join the Republic of Cameroon, while Northern Cameroon remained with Nigeria, which declared itself a Federal Republic two years later. In 1966, the nation was shaken by several back-to-back military coups d'etat, sparked initially by alleged corruption in the electoral and political processes. The resulting oppression and violence against certain ethnic groups, in particular the Igbo, led to the secession of Eastern Nigeria and the declaration of a new nation, the Republic of Biafra, under the leadership of Lt Colonel Emeka Ojukwu. When the Federal Army launched attacks against Biafra, Nigeria erupted into a civil war that lasted from 6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970. Made famous by the Biafran government's reliance on foreign mercenaries from Europe, Southern Africa and Israel, the fledgling republic was unable to sustain a continued onslaught by the much larger Nigerian military, backed as it was by the support of such states as the UK, Egypt, the USSR, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Niger, and Chad. It is estimated that more than one million people died during the Nigerian Civil War.

The nation continued under military control throughout most of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, with several additional regime changes facilitated by coups d'etat. In 1999 the first president in 33 years to be freely elected took office.

The Nigerian Armed Forces consist of the Army, Navy and Air Force, with an estimated 85,000 active duty personnel. The Nigerian military has been actively involved in peacekeeping roles since 1983, including a prominent role with ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group), and several missions with the United Nations.

Nigerian Camouflage Patterns

• During the Nigerian Civil War period (1967-1970), a vertical lizard camouflage pattern was worn by many Federal troops, as well as by some soldiers in the breakaway Republic of Biafra. The pattern is of undetermined origin, but appears to be have been influenced by the French and Portuguese designs worn by neighboring countries. By the mid-1970s, it would appear all stocks of this unique camouflage were completely depleted or destroyed, as Nigerian Army personnel from that period appearing in photographs are all issued solid-color olive drab or dark khaki-colored uniforms.

• As early as 1984, a limited number of Nigerian Army personnel began wearing copies of US m81 woodland camouflage uniforms, interspersed with the standard issued olive drab combat uniform. Surviving samples from this early period are almost non-existent, but - based on photographs - we can conclude that early woodland camouflage uniforms were locally-made, probably from fabric imported from the United States or possibly somewhere in Asia. The early woodland has essentially the same color palette as the original, American design.

• Precisely when the universal adoption of woodland camouflage by Nigerian forces became permanent remains unknown, but by 1990 most personnel deploying with UNIMOG were wearing camouflage uniforms in some variation of the woodland design. Many of the examples feature considerable variety with regards to color palette, particularly in the shades of green employed. Based on extant uniform samples and photographs, it can be discerned the fabrics were most likely imported and the uniforms locally-produced.

• Over time, uniform designs changed to conform with that of the American Battledress Uniform (BDU), usually with shoulder straps on the blouse, some still locally-made from imported fabrics, while others no doubt manufactured in Chinese factories for export. These have been documented prominently during the early and mid-1990s among Nigerian Army personnel deploying to Liberia and Sierra Leone with ECOMOG. Conformity of issue has been virtually non-existent within the Nigerian Armed Forces, so at any given time one could encounter a variety of woodland designs all being fielded by soldiers within the same unit.

• The most prominent version of woodland in Nigerian use over the decades has been a literal copy of the US m81 woodland design. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, there appears to have been some attempt to standardize the basic color palette to conform with that of the original American m81 woodland. Additionally, some surplus American-made BDU uniforms have been provided over the years by the US military during USASATMO (USA Security Assistance Training Management Organization) missions.

• Nigerian military personnel serving in the Dharfur region of Sudan were observed wearing a copy of British desert DPM pattern camouflage in 2011. This was apparently the first use of desert camouflage by this nation, although its use continued on foreign deployments as well as by some Army personnel serving in the arid north for some years until being replaced by the modern "blotches" design.

• Circa 2011, Nigerian troops began wearing a copy of the US tricolor desert camouflage pattern, either provided by the USASATMO or sourced through the Chinese uniform factories.

• At least two variations of the tricolor desert pattern, using different shapes but also produced in China, has also been worn by Nigerian Army personnel, both those serving in the arid northern regions of the country and on foreign deployments. There are additional differences in these variations, including derivative shapes that appear to be longer or more stretched out, suggesting that perhaps at one time they came from the same initial set of drawings.

• The Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (SBS) adopted an updated version of the old Chinese Navy Type 87 blue camouflage design circa 2012-13. Uniforms are either locally-produced or manufactured on contract for Nigeria, and both differ considerably from the PLAN uniform design.

• At least two camouflage designs are worn by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The first pattern, introduced circa 2012, has a grey-black colorway and seems to be based on woodland-type drawings. The second pattern, dating to 2013 or 2014, seems to be derived from leaf-type drawings, and has a blue or purple tone to it. It would appear both designs were worn concurrently for a brief period, but the blue/purple design is the only one currently in use in 2024.

• Special Operations personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, Navy, and (occasionally) the Army have been documented wearing copies of the US Marine Corps MARPAT designs, both the temperate and desert versions. Use of this pattern seems to be most prevalent with Nigerian Marines personnel, and the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces (AFAS).

• Circa August 2014, the Nigerian Army announced it would adopt a unique camouflage pattern in an effort to promote a "smarter" looking apperance, as well as to distinguish soldiers from terrorists (such as Boko Haram) and civilians that had recently been arrested committing crimes while wearing security forces camouflage attire. The design seen here consists of unusually-shaped black, brown and khaki "blotches" on a vivid forest green background, and is intended for wearing in the central and southern parts of the country which are more heavily vegetated, as well as on any international deployments in similar climates. In addition to personnel of the Army, some units of the Navy (particularly special operations) have also adopted the design for operational deployments. This new pattern ultimately replaced all the previously issued woodland variants.

• Also in August of 2014, a desert variation of the above "blotch" design was adopted for use by Nigerian Army personnel stationed in the arid regions of northern Nigeria as well as to personnel on peacekeeping and training deployments. The pattern utilizes the same print screen design as the "jungle" version, but with olive green, russet brown, and sand-colored shapes on a light khaki background. It is worth noting that, since its issue, rumors began floating around that the shapes within the pattern were actually representations of the thirty-six federal territories of the Nigerian State; however, this appears to be incorrect, as there is no apparent correlation between the shapes of the states and those in the camouflage pattern. Both the woodland/jungle and arid/desert camouflage fabrics have been produced in several countries, leading to slight variations in tone and shades of the dyes used in printing.

• This variation of the "blotch" pattern camouflage worn by the elite Special Boat Service (SBS) of the Nigerian Navy was first seen in 2013. This design would continue to be seen within the SBS for the next few years, although it is unknown whether it has been discontinued.

• A pattern similar in design to that worn by the People's Liberation Navy (PLN) - with a slightly different colorway - was adopted by the Nigerian Navy in 2013.

• At least some members of the Nigerian special operations community have deployed wearing Multicam-pattern uniforms, probably obtained from sources in China.

• The blue-grey camouflage design seen here is worn by some Nigerian Air Force personnel, including members of the Air Force Regiment and special forces. The design, which may be of Chinese origins, incorporates black, dark grey, and blue-grey shapes on a lavender-grey background.

• With a light grey colorway, the amoeba-based camouflage design seen below has been worn by officers of the Nigerian Customs Service until recently.

• The Nigeria Immigration Service uses a pixelated camouflage design that incorporates similar colors to the Army desert pattern, without a chocolate brown shade.

• The Nigerian State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Security (DSS), is a special operations unit charged with providing security to Nigerian VIPs and foreign dignitaries, counterintelligence, counter-espionage, counter-terrorism, internal security, surveillance, and investigation of serious crimes against the State. Operational units have worn a Chinese-made copy of the Multicam Black design.

• The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is responsible for coordinating military functions across all branches of the Nigerian Armed Forces. DHQ also maintains a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit under its direct control, which has a highly specialized role and can be deployed anywhere in the country. Circa late 2022 or early 2023, the unit adopted two camouflage designs which appear to be "pixelated" versions of the standard jungle/woodland and arid/desert camouflage in use with the rest of the Armed Forces. Utilizing identical color palettes, these camouflage designs feature very large pixels in comparison to conventional digital patterns.

Camouflage Use By Insurgent Organizations

• The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has been an active militant group in the southern parts of Nigeria since 2004, and is connected with the greater conflict in the Niger Delta region over oil production rights. The group has no formal structure and is not supported militarily or financially by any nations, although it is allied with the Niger Delta's People's Volunteer Force and the Niger Delta Liberation Front. The use of camouflage by MEND and other Nigerian militants has been completely erratic, and has consisted of surplus Nigerian Army issue kit, along with a variety of commerical bits an pieces, home-made, and ex-foreign military items. Well-publicized photographs from 2008, however, suggest a small-quantity of commercially sold "Hunters" pattern camouflage uniform items (produced by the South Africa-based Camo Joe company) made their way into the hands of MEND insurgents. Quantities appear to have been extremely limited, and it would be a stretch to suggest this camouflage design saw widespread use by anyone involved in this conflict.