Nigeria’s Terra Industries names Nnamdi Chife VP military relations

Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-technology startup that builds drones and automated surveillance systems, has appointed Nnamdi Chife as Vice President of Military Relations, strengthening its leadership bench as the company deepens engagement with Nigeria’s armed forces.

The appointment comes at a critical point for the company. In February, Terra signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), the state-run defence corporation operated by the Nigerian Armed Forces, to establish a joint venture focused on local assembly, research, and training in drones, robotics, and cybersecurity systems. 

As the defence-tech startup shifts from building products to executing military partnerships, Chife’s role is expected to focus on managing relationships with the armed forces and guiding strategy at the board level. The DICON agreement integrates Terra into Nigeria’s formal defence manufacturing structure and raises the stakes for coordination with military leadership.

“We welcome back Nnamdi Chife as our new VP of military relations,” Terra said in a statement on X on Monday. “Nnamdi Chife is a Counter Insurgency specialist with a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies. He has over 15 years of experience in the defense sector in Nigeria. He will lead and manage Terra’s military engagement strategy and provide advisory input to the CEO and Board.”

Chife is stepping into a pivotal role at Terra Industries to help “develop smart weapons systems for [Nigeria’s] armed forces and African militaries tackling insurgency and terror.”

His relationship with Terra dates back to 2023, when he served as a member of the company’s board of directors during a crucial phase when it was building its robotics factory in Abuja. He left in 2024 as the company restructured and rebranded from Terrahaptix to Terra Industries.

Chife with Terra Industries’ cofounders Maxwell Maduka and Nathan Nwachuku in 2024. Image Source: ThisDay Newspapers

He previously spent nearly a decade at Ecobank Nigeria, where he worked in finance before moving fully into security and intelligence work. In 2018, he founded Chive GPS, a Lagos-based conflict resolution and security intelligence firm that specialises in debt recovery, background checks, geolocation intelligence, and asset tracing. 

Chive GPS has worked with Nigerian law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the country’s anti-graft agency, on fraud and cross-border cases. Over time, Chife built a profile in Nigeria’s defence and security circles, advising on counter-insurgency and internal security challenges, and speaking on the country’s kidnapping crisis.

In 2026, Terra has raised $34 million from US and local investors, including 8VC, Lux Capital, and Resilience17 Capital, becoming Africa’s most-funded defence-tech startup.

Founded in 2023 by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nathan Nwachuku and co-founder Maxwell Maduka, the company is positioning itself as a key local supplier to Nigeria’s military at a time of rising insecurity and growing pressure on the government to produce defence systems at home.