Nigerian Army inaugurates Norinco service centre

The Nigerian Army-Norinco Comprehensive Service Centre that was officially opened on 28 April. (Nigerian Army)

The Nigerian Army has established a “comprehensive service centre” with the Chinese company Norinco, it was revealed on 28 April, when the facility was inaugurated by Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede.

The Nigerian Army said the service centre had been built at the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps (NAAC) base in Bauchi and would “ensure speedy repairs of combat enablers”.

It released a video showing Lt Gen Oluyede being shown around the new facility, which corresponds with a 62×26 m shed that satellite imagery shows has been constructed to the north of the new NAAC headquarters building that was opened at Obienu Barracks, north of Bauchi city, in June 2024.

The video showed that another new building with a courtyard is an accommodation block for the service centre and has signs in both English and Chinese, indicating that it will be used by Norinco personnel.

The NAAC also put on a demonstration and a static display of its equipment for Lt Gen Oluyede. The latter included one of the Norinco VT4 tanks and ST1 8×8 fire-support vehicles that the army chief was told entered Nigerian service in 2020, as well as Chinese Mengshi light armoured tactical vehicles that entered service in 2021 and a Chinese CS/VP3 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle that entered service in 2014.

There was no indication that the NAAC had received new Chinese armoured support vehicles, as it displayed recovery and vehicle-launched bridge versions of the Vickers Mk3 tank that entered service in 1983.

A groundbreaking ceremony was also held for a new barracks for the NAAC's 211 Demonstration Battalion during Lt Gen Oluyede's visit.

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