Nigeria has joined 13 other countries in a Saudi Arabia-led multinational maritime security coalition established to protect critical international shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, even as the country grapples with worsening security challenges at home.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced the formation of the alliance on Thursday following a high-level meeting in Riyadh attended by defence ministers and representatives from 43 countries.

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According to the ministry, the coalition is intended to strengthen maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure international trade and energy supply routes, and protect strategic maritime interests across some of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.

Saudi Arabia stressed that the alliance is purely defensive and is not directed against any state, military alliance or international organisation. Participation in specific operations will remain voluntary, allowing each member state to decide the extent of its involvement. Riyadh will lead the coalition and host its permanent headquarters.

The 14 founding members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.

Nigeria’s decision to join the coalition comes at a time when the country is battling multiple internal security crises, including insurgency in the North-East, widespread banditry and kidnappings across the North-West and North-Central, as well as renewed attacks by criminal groups in parts of the South-East.

The country’s maritime domain also continues to face persistent security threats. Although incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea have declined in recent years due to coordinated regional patrols, attacks on vessels, oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of maritime crime remain significant concerns, particularly in the Niger Delta and adjoining waters.

Security analysts say Nigeria’s participation in an international naval coalition could place additional demands on the Nigerian Navy, whose personnel and assets are already heavily committed to protecting the nation’s extensive coastline, offshore oil and gas infrastructure, and inland waterways.

With finite naval resources, sustained commitments to international maritime operations could potentially stretch operational capacity and affect the country’s ability to respond swiftly to domestic maritime security threats, including piracy, crude oil theft and the protection of critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Saudi-led initiative follows the announcement by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement of a maritime blockade targeting Saudi vessels transiting the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis accused Riyadh of imposing what they described as an “unjust and oppressive siege” on the Yemeni people.

The blockade threatens commercial shipping and energy exports from Saudi Arabia’s western ports, while Iran is simultaneously exerting pressure on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on the kingdom’s eastern flank.

The growing instability across the two strategic waterways has heightened fears of disruptions to global energy supplies, with analysts warning that prolonged attacks on commercial shipping could trigger higher fuel prices and broader economic repercussions.

Houthi forces have already claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, alleging that the vessels breached the group’s declared maritime restrictions.