Innoson to produce military grade vehicles in Nigeria

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing has partnered with the Nigerian Army to conceptualise, design, modify and produce armoured fighting vehicles and other military hardware, the company announced on 3 January.

To encourage local entrepreneurs, the Nigerian Army had asked IVM, the first indigenous military vehicle manufacturer, to supply three vehicle prototypes in early 2017. According to the company, the vehicles were found to be durable and were employed in operations.

Based on the performance of the initial vehicles, the army acquired more than 70 variants of the Innoson vehicles, which were deployed in the North East for Operation Lafiya Dole.

The company has also delivered three newly manufactured vehicles, the IVM G80 Bigger Jeep, IVM G40 Smaller Jeep and IVM Granite Pickup, to the Nigerian Army for trials.

The specific areas of partnership between the Nigerian Army and the company include immediate supply of 100 vehicles, supply of appropriate gears, engines and chassis required for immediate modifications and repair of armoured fighting vehicles in the North East Theatre of Operations.

The partnership will also focus on identifying requirements for production of armoured fighting vehicle in Nigerian Army Central Workshop in Kaduna and enhancing the capacity of Nigerian Army personnel to actively participate in the successful implementation of the joint venture.