Defence stakeholders push for modern shooting ranges to strengthen national security

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s defence and internal security sector have called for the establishment of modern shooting range infrastructure across all states of the federation to improve training capacity, operational readiness, and safety among military and law enforcement personnel.

The call followed deliberations at a recent Workshop on National and Regional Defence Shooting Range Development, convened in Abuja by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in collaboration with DICON Gray Insignia Ltd (DGI).

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the workshop and signed by Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, a major general of the Nigerian Army, on behalf of Defence Industry Cooperation of Nigeria (DICONparticipants agreed on “the establishment of standardised shooting ranges nationwide,” stressing that modern facilities should be developed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to ensure equitable access to training infrastructure.

The communiqué noted that the workshop brought together key stakeholders from the Armed Forces of Nigeria, security agencies, defence industry experts, policymakers, private sector partners, and technical consultants to deliberate on strategies for the development, modernisation, and standardisation of shooting ranges nationwide.

Participants observed that limited access to live-fire training facilities remains a major constraint, particularly for personnel deployed outside major military formations. This gap, they said, affects training frequency, marksmanship proficiency, safety, and overall operational effectiveness.

A concept note presented at the workshop highlighted the scale of the challenge, stating that “most military and law enforcement personnel do not have regular access to live-fire training facilities within their states of deployment.”

To address the shortfall, stakeholders discussed a proposed framework known as the One State One Range Initiative (OSORI), which seeks to ensure that each state has at least one functional shooting range accessible to military, law enforcement, and other authorised security agencies.

The concept note described OSORI as “a national capacity-building concept… to ensure that every State of the Federation has at least one functional shooting range accessible to all military, law enforcement and eligible security agencies.”

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Under the initiative, state governments would invest in indoor or outdoor shooting range facilities as shared-access infrastructure, allowing agencies such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Customs, and Immigration to conduct routine training within their states of deployment.

The communiqué also recommended the creation of integrated regional ranges to facilitate joint training among military and law enforcement agencies, noting that such facilities would foster coordination and ensure personnel “speak with one voice” during joint operations.

Participants further emphasised the need for strict adherence to engineering and safety standards, environmental compliance, and structured awareness programmes to deepen understanding of modern shooting range infrastructure and its operational benefits.

They agreed that implementing the recommendations would enhance training quality, strengthen national security readiness, and support the development of a resilient and self-reliant defence industrial base.