KEY POINTS
- Vice President Kashim Shettima led senior government officials and service chiefs at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony in Abuja.
- Prayers, a minute of silence and artillery salute marked the tribute to fallen and living military personnel.
- The annual event honours Nigerian soldiers who served in global wars, the civil war and ongoing security operations.
On Thursday, Nigeria held a solemn parade and wreath-laying ceremony at the National Arcade in Abuja to honor Armed Forces Remembrance Day 2026. The country’s top political and military leaders were there.
The delegation was led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Minister of Defence Christopher Musa, and other high-ranking government officials.
The dignitaries walked slowly in a ceremonial procession to the cenotaph, led by soldiers from the Guards Brigade. There, they laid wreaths in memory of service members who died while defending the country.
Prayers for Fallen and Living Heroes
Religious prayers were a big part of the ceremony, showing Nigeria’s many religions and shared sense of national sacrifice.
Colonel Rev. B P Nyam, the Army’s Director of Chaplain Services, led the Protestant prayer. Group Captain H. Idris, the Director of Air Force Islamic Affairs, led Islamic prayers after that. Navy Captain Very Rev. Fr. R C Diala said the Roman Catholic prayer.
The prayers were mostly about peace, national unity, and the well-being of those who serve, but they also remembered those who died while serving.
