Manufacturer catalog

Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria

Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria is Nigeria's state defence manufacturer and ordnance-factory operator, responsible for arms, ammunition, testing, technology transfer, and local-industrial support.

2 weapons

Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria is the federal defence-industrial body that the Nigerian state created in 1964 to run ordnance factories and support the armed forces and other security organizations. Official DICON and Ministry of Defence material describe its remit as manufacturing, testing, and supplying arms and ammunition while using spare capacity to support local industry.

DICON's public record links the corporation to early Kaduna production capacity for BM59 rifles and 7.62x51mm ammunition, and to later technology-transfer planning around the Polish Beryl M762 rifle. Those records make DICON useful context for Nigerian-linked production, licensed manufacture, and local ordnance-factory activity rather than only for imported weapon service.

Small armsAmmunitionOrdnance factoriesDefence manufacturingMilitary hardware

Notable Systems

Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons

Beretta BM59 rifle

Battle rifle

The Ministry of Defence history says DICON's Kaduna ordnance factories were built with capacity for 5,000 BM59 rifles per year.

Sources: DICON brief history, Ministry of Defence profile
7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, NATO-standard rifle and machine-gun cartridge, Munitions

7.62x51mm NATO cartridge

NATO-standard rifle and machine-gun cartridge

DICON's official history says the Kaduna ordnance factories were built with capacity for 12,000,000 rounds of 7.62mm x 51 ammunition per year.

Sources: DICON brief history, Ministry of Defence profile
Beryl M762 assault rifle, 7.62x39 mm selective-fire assault rifle, Infantry Weapons

Beryl M762 assault rifle

7.62x39 mm selective-fire assault rifle

DefenceWeb reported that PGZ and DICON signed a 2018 agreement covering staged technology transfer for Nigerian production of the Beryl M762.

Sources: Nigeria to manufacture Beryl assault rifles

Manufacturer History

  1. DICON established by Act of Parliament

    Official DICON and Ministry of Defence sources say the corporation was established by an Act of Parliament in 1964.

    Sources: DICON brief history, Ministry of Defence profile

  2. Fritz Werner set up Kaduna ordnance factories

    The Ministry of Defence says the first technical partner, Fritz Werner of West Germany, provided expertise and built the Kaduna ordnance factories.

    Sources: Ministry of Defence profile, DICON brief history

  3. President Tinubu assented to the DICON Bill

    A DICON statement said the 2023 DICON Act repealed the previous act and expanded the corporation's powers over ordnance factories and defence-industrial activity.

    Sources: DICON Act assent

Website links
Official websiteBrief historyMinistry of Defence profile

DICON is a state-owned Nigerian defence corporation with a long public record and a limited open web footprint. Operational and event photos on the official site were not reused because licensing terms were not clear.

Manufacturer Sources

  • DICON homePublisher: Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria | Note: Supports the current official website identity, public contact context, and current local-defence-industry messaging. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • DICON brief historyPublisher: Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria | Note: Supports the 1964 establishment, Fritz Werner technical-partner role, Kaduna ordnance-factory background, production-capacity history, and the corporation's manufacturing mission. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Ministry of Defence profilePublisher: Ministry of Defence, Nigeria | Note: Supports DICON's official ministry context, 1964 establishment, Kaduna ordnance-factory history, and the mission to manufacture and supply arms and ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • DICON Act assentPublisher: Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria | Note: Supports the 2023 DICON Act update, the expanded factory-control mandate, and the corporation's current technology-development framework. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Badaru tours DICONPublisher: Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria | Note: Supports the Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna headquarters context and the corporation's current local-production focus. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Nigeria to manufacture Beryl assault riflesPublisher: defenceWeb | Note: Supports the PGZ-DICON Beryl M762 production agreement, staged technology-transfer plan, prior Nigerian Beryl deliveries, and DICON's small-arms and ammunition role. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

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Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons1982 Falklands War, 2022 Haitian Gang ConflictBeretta BM59 rifleBattle rifleBuilt in: Italy / Indonesia / NigeriaThe Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle that converted the M1 Garand architecture into a 7.62x51mm NATO, detachable-magazine service rifle. Beretta built the core Italian family, while licensed or locally produced patterns appeared in Indonesia and Nigeria. Direct conflict-use sourcing ties BM59-family rifles to Argentine small arms in the 1982 Falklands War and to criminal-gang firearms in Haiti's current gang conflict.