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Nigerian Defence Forces

Last modified: 2022-10-22 by bruce berry
Keywords: nigerian defence forces | tribar |
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[Nigerian Defence Forces] image by Santiago Tazon, 23 May 2001 See also:

Defence Forces Flag

The Nigerian Defence Forces flag has three horizontal stripes of the same width: red, marine blue and cyan. It is used in a plain version, and also with two concentric circles in the centre containing the Nigerian Defence Force badge.

Flag with the badge:

There are two concentric circles covering the three stripes. The central circle is the big one with the badge of the Nigerian Defence Force:

  • A centred Cyan eagle with unfolded wings
  • And marking the center two black crossed swords
  • One blue anchor on the bottom.
  • One small red winged symbol on the top

Bordering the central circle, there is another concentric circle, formed by small white circles with a green background (National flag colours).

The plain Nigerian Defence Force flag flies at military barracks, all across the country, and they have their property walls painted in stripes with the same three colours.

The flag with the badge is less common, but it can be seen flying at "Ship House" housing the Ministry of Defence in the capital, Abuja.
Santiago Tazon, 23 May 2001

This looks like a tri-service flag, with colours representing, from top to bottom, the Army, Navy and Air Force.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 May 2001

Army Headquarters Flag

image by Randy Young, 13 Aug 2016

The Army Headquarters use a flag with three vertical stripes: red, black and red (all with the same width). In the central black stripe there is a yellow eagle with unfolded wings over a six pointed yellow star (with a shadow 3D effect like in the points of the star found on the flag of NATO) above a scroll. It can be seen flying at the National Army Headquarters on Victoria Island in Lagos.
Santiago Tazón, 23 May 2001

Army Chief of Staff

[Nigeria - Chief of Staff of the Army] image by Victor Lomantsov, 10 Mar 2002

A green square flag with national coat of arms in the centre and three red six-pointed stars (Source: article by Emil Dreyer in Gaceta de banderas, [gdb] No. 6 "Un funcionario de la embajada de Nigeria en Berna nos proporciona los datos del guion de dicho militar de alto rango: cuadrado, verde, el escudo de armas nacional, con todos sus esmaltes, y tres estrellas rojas de seis puntas, dos a los lados y una arriba"
Victor Lomantsov, 10 Mar 2002

Lieutenant-General rank flag

image by Randy Young, 13 Aug 2016

While doing some research online on another topic, I stumbled across a photograph from June 2015 showing what appears to be the rank flag of a three-star Lieutenant-General in the Nigerian Army. The photograph here shows the outgoing Nigerian Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, handing a flag to Major General Tobiah Jacob Minimah, the incoming Army Chief of Staff. The flag appears to have the same pattern of the Army Headquarters shown above but with the addition
of three six-pointed gold stars in the canton.  It makes sense that this  flag would be a rank flag for the three-star lieutenant-general, as Major General Minimah was promoted to lieutenant-general in order to assume the title of Chief of Staff.  We know that the flag is not the flag of the Army Chief of Staff, because we already show that one and it might be the green one on the table behind Lieutenant General Ihejirika. 
Randy Young, 13 Aug 2016