Made-in-Nigeria IGIRIGI APC on parade
Panhard M3 Armoured Personnel Carriers..possibly the first-ever photo of these systems in Nigerian service
Panhard AML 60 Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Alvis Spartan tracked APCs
Bofors FH77B 155mm field howitzer
Panhard ERC 90 Sagaie AFVs
Oto Melara Palmaria 155mm self-propelled artillery
PHOTO CREDIT: NIGERIAN ARMY/SOLDIERS VOICE
Beegeagle's Blog 
For the IGIRIGI, like I commented in the previous thread, the initial issues with the tires from 2012 photo has been sorted out. The only thing the army needs to do now is mount a 12.7MM HMG, and just let is “rip”, “roar”.
The name “igirigi” means the light shower that comes before the rain/ thunderstorm. If you ask me, very appropriate name for the APC.
The panhard M3 is quite old to be honest, their numbers in the army inventory is also very small. Not significant enough.
The PF1 and IGIRIGI, should replace the AML 60 in the army’s inventory. Like I had earlier suggested, mount a 12.7mm on the IGIRIGI, on the PF1 we could have different variants, 12.7mm on some, 50 CAL’s on others, while on the 3 variants powerful south african made 20mm cannons( or other variants) or turrets.
So for troop support, counter-insurgency operations. We have a ratio 3/2, 3 pick-up trucks and GPMG’s mounted on them and 2 IGIRIGI’s supporting .
In all we field,
IGIRIGI
PF1
Otokar cobra
Sandcat
Panhad vbl ( all variants)
Very nice display.
The fact that the Igirigi was designed and built by the Army Engrs is pretty impressive.
I believe the Igirigi is a civilian APC – more suitable for delivering SWAT teams than SF teams. This is because the ground clearance and the wheels are not good enough for the range of combat possibilities that the NA might face.
In my own opinion, the Army should sell the design and the attached contracts to Pro Force or DICON so that the Igirigi can be mass produced for the Police or other civilian customers. Any money gained from the sale can be plowed back into R&D for a truly combat ready IFV/APC/MRAP.
I kind of agree but we’d need to see specs to make a better assessment.
I think they should go into JV with one of the homebased manufacturers rather than sell the design.
Oga Peccavi, the reason the NA should “sale” rather than get into the manufacturing business is that the police will not buy APCs from the army. The police would rather “arrange” their own APCs.
Besides, the armed forces getting into the manufacturing business is usually a recipe for failure.
NIGERIA
Some procurement has taken place in recent times, but details of such programmes are not forthcoming from the Nigerian Army, which is highly secretive. Priority since the 1990s has been given to procuring small volumes of modern armoured vehicles and artillery systems. For example, in 2003 the army took delivery of the last of 67 MT-LB multi-purpose armoured vehicles purchased from Huta Stalowa Wola of Poland. Of the 67 vehicles, 54 are standard combat variants with a rear-mounted dozer blade, six are armoured recovery vehicles, six are upgraded command variants, and one is an armoured ambulance. The MT-LB’s were procured with funding provided by the UN to re-equip a Nigerian Army battalion deployed with the UN mission in Sierra Leone. In 2007, Nigeria received 42 BTR-3U armoured personnel carriers from Ukraine. Nigeria has also received 193 Otokar Cobras with the remaining batch comprising approximately 40 Cobras were delivered by the end of 2008.
Nigeria has, for a long time, been looking to buy a series of ultra mobile APCs and IFVs but from a variety of suppliers. The differing methods of procurement stemming from regional military budgets have ensured greater competition. Currently the Nigerian Army are waiting for deliveries of an adapted Oshkosh Sandcat TPV and M-LPV as well as Drakensburg’s Springbuck. However, the latest developments largely centre around DICON (Nigeria’s indigenous ordinance factory) modernising Scorpions and Steyr tracked APCs and work on an indigenous APC.
UPDATE: Has a requirement for an MRAP fleet to continue efforts to defeat IED terrorism within its borders and in neighbouring African states. Is believed to be leaning towards an indigenous manufacture of a Springbuck VI fleet, developed by Mekahog an agent of South African company Drakensberg Truck ManufactUPDATE: Has a requirement for an MRAP fleet to continue efforts to defeat IED terrorismUPDATE: Has a requirement for an MRAP fleet to continue efforts to defeat IED terrorism within its borders and in neighbouring African states. Is believed to be leaning towards an indigenous manufacture of a Springbuck VI fleet, developed by Mekahog an agent of South African company Drakensberg Truck ManufactUPDATE: Has a requirement for an MRAP fleet to continue efforts to defeat IED terrorism within i
gud aftanun henry,is nigeria actually getin d oshkosh sandcat tpv? Or is it a mere speculation
It has already been paid for. We are only awaiting deliveries. Perhaps, it might have already been delivered.
@Baba Henry, great write-up!
Oga obix thank you, but it wasn’t written by me oh. The article about procurement, wasn’t written by me. I should have inserted the link.
Oga asorockweb, if that is the only problem you see with the APC, I can confidently say that those minute bottle necks can be easily fixed. With much larger tyres, vehicle can be used in any terrain, seeing that it was designed on a 4×4 chassis.
The FG had already put in place a 3-5million dollars budget for the igirigi to be mass produced at the army’s special vehicle plant in bauchi state.
All in all the future looks bright for the igirigi.
Perhaps my blind patriotism is clouding my sense of judgement. However, As for me, all I see in this APC is nigeria’s version of the widely popular otokar cobra.
Major hamza al mustapha and his co accused hav been freed by a lagos crt of appeal
Great news! There was no proof of his guilt. Some top shots were afraid of him because he knew too much, so they decided to keep him away!
My own take on the IGIRIGI is that it’s more of a scouting vehicle than anything else. By mere looking at the vehicle it’s obvious that the NA picked up a civilian Ford pickup truck chassis from Coshcaris and built an amoured shell round it. The NA should samples to its theatres of operations for testing and evaluations, effect any modifications and push the design to ProForce to handle the manufacturing and marketing. I believe the spare tyre in its current position would impair the driver’s left rear view mirror