Nigeria - Revision history

Admin1: /* Camouflage Use By Insurgent Organizations */

2026-01-01T20:02:46Z

Camouflage Use By Insurgent Organizations

Admin1: /* Federal Republic of Nigeria */

2026-01-01T20:01:39Z

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Admin1 at 17:46, 1 January 2026

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 == 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.
+* The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) was an active militant group in the southern parts of Nigeria from 2004 to 2014, 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.
 [[File:camojoe3.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria-mend1.jpg|200px]]

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 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.
+The Nigerian Armed Forces were formed out of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), created by the [[United Kingdom|British Colonial Office]] in 1900 to garrison a number of British West African colonies. The five battalions of the Nigeria Regiment (RWAFF) became the Nigerian Military Forces in 1958, and the basis of the Nigerian Federal Army after independence in 1960. During the Civil War period (1967-70), the size of the armed forces tripled to nearly 250,000 personnel, but this was reduced to just 125,000 once the war was over. The Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) presently consist of three branches, the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force, and has grown once again to nearly 230,000 personnel in 2025. The Nigerian Army is the largest branch of service, with over 160,000 soldiers in six conventional divisions (two amphibious), a Presidential Guards Brigade (three battalions), and the 82nd Composite Division (comprised of airborne and amphibious elements), as well as independent special operations units. The Nigerian Air Force is relatively large in size (for Africa), with nearly 150 aircraft and 18,000 personnel, as well as its own special operations elements. The Nigerian Navy includes a multitude of maritime vessels, as well as naval infantry (Marine) and special operations elements. The NAF 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.
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 [[File:nigeria16.png|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria17.png|200px]]
 == Camouflage Use By Insurgent Organizations ==

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 [[File:marpat2.png|200px]]
-* 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.
+* 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, the Navy also adopted the design for operational deployments, initially within special operations and amphibious units, but eventually the entire service. This new pattern ultimately replaced all the previously issued woodland variants.
 [[File:nigeria4.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria18.png|200px]]
 * 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.
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 [[File:nigeria5.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria7.jpg|200px]]
 * 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.

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 [[File:Multicam.jpg|200px]]
-* 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.
+* The blue-grey camouflage design seen here has been worn by Nigerian Air Force personnel since at least 2015, including members of the Air Force Regiment. The design, which may be of Chinese origins, incorporates black, dark grey, and blue-grey shapes on a lavender-grey background.
 [[File:nigeria10.jpg|200px]]
-[[File:nigeriaaf.jpg|200px]]
+[[File:nigeria-af.png|200px]]
 * With a light grey colorway, the amoeba-based camouflage design seen below has been worn by officers of the Nigerian Customs Service until recently.

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 [[File:iraq42.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:iraq43.jpg|200px]]
 [[File:iraq41.jpg|200px]]
 * 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.

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 * 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.
-[[File:nigeriapolice.jpg|200px]]
+[[File:nigeria-police1.png|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria20.png|200px]]
 * 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).

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 [[File:nigeria-sbs.jpg|200px]]
-* 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.
+* 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. This pattern did not remain in service for more than a couple of years.
-[[File:nigerianavy.jpg|200px]]
+[[File:nigeria-navy2.png|200px]]
 * At least some members of the Nigerian special operations community have deployed wearing Multicam-pattern uniforms, probably obtained from sources in China.

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 [[File:nigeria-tricolor2.png|200px]]
-* 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.
+* The Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (SBS) adopted an updated version of the old Chinese Navy Type 87 blue camouflage design around 2012-13. Uniforms are either locally-produced or manufactured on contract for Nigeria, and both differ considerably from the PLAN uniform design.
 [[File:nigeria19.png|200px]]
 * 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.

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 [[File:usa8.jpg|200px]]
 * 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.
@@ Line 71: / Line 72: @@
 [[File:nigeria13.png|200px]]
 [[File:nigeria3.jpg|200px]]
 * 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.