Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) is the state-run defense corporation of Nigeria and operated by the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is responsible for the production of defense equipment and civilian products.

History

DICON was established in 1964 through an act of parliament in the

Nigerian National Assembly The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution. It consists of a Senate with 109 members and a 360-member House of Representatives. The body, modeled ...

. From 2018 to March 2021, Major General Victor Okwudili Ezugwu was appointed as DICON's director-general. Major General MO Uzoh was appointed DG in March 2021.

Products

It makes licensed copies of the Mills M36M (M36) handgrenade, Browning P-35 (NP-1) pistol,

Beretta M12 The Beretta M12 (Model 12) is a 9×19mm Parabellum caliber submachine gun designed by Beretta. Production started in 1959, the first users were the Italian Carabinieri, Italian State Police and the Guardia di Finanza, though in limited number, it ...

(PMG-12) submachine gun,

Beretta BM59 The BM 59 is an automatic battle rifle developed in Italy in 1959. It is based on the M1 Garand rifle, chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, modified to use a detachable magazine, and capable of selective fire. Later revisions incorporated other featu ...

and

FN FAL The FAL (a French acronym for (English: "Light Automatic Rifle")), is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal (simply known as FN). During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of th ...

(NR1 Model 7.62) battle rifles,

FN MAG The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, inc ...

(GPMG) machinegun, and

RPG-7 The RPG-7 (russian: link=no, РПГ-7, Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт, Ruchnoy Protivotankoviy Granatomyot) is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. ...

(RPG) rocket launcher. The OBJ-006, a copy of the

7.62mm The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the imperial unit and customary unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for i ...

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...

assault rifle, is produced by DICON in 2006. DICON has recently procured rights to manufacture a copy of the Polish FB 5.56mm Kbs wz.96 ''Beryl'' assault rifle, possibly to replace the FAL and/or AK-47 in service. From 2012 to 2019, DICON and Marom Dolphin signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to produce ballistic vests. In 2013, DICON officials denied allegations that Nigerian-made ballistic vests from DICON factories are made under substandard conditions. After the contract expiration with Marom Dolphin, DICON Special Equipment was birthed, which is a collaboration between DICON and Imperium Industries Nig. Ltd. The DICON Special Equipment specializes in the production of bulletproof vests, Helmets, Coveralls, Uniforms and other related items. On October 3, 2019, DICON unveiled its first armored vehicle, known as the Ezugwu MRAP. The MRAP was made in collaboration with the Nigerian Army Command Engineering Depot. It was named after Major General Victor Ezugwu, who was known for his efforts in fighting against Boko Haram, who is the director-general of DICON at the end of 2018. This was publicly shown in a ceremony by Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai at the Abuja International Trade Fair Complex during a Nigerian Army Day event. In the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, DICON has produced ventilators, face shields, face masks and hand sanitizers.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://dicon.gov.ng Military industry Manufacturing companies of Nigeria Defence companies of Nigeria Military of Nigeria Manufacturing companies established in 1964 1964 establishments in Nigeria Companies based in Kaduna State Kaduna