Nigerian Army SSCC Course 50/2027 applications open August 14, 2026 and close October 17, 2026. You must be 23 to 27 by January 10, 2027, hold at least a Second Class Lower degree or HND Lower Credit (certificates from 2018 onward only), meet the height and fitness requirements, and have no criminal record, cult ties, or tattoos. Apply free at nashortservice.army.mil.ng, upload your documents, and ignore any agent asking for payment, a fake version of this same advert already went round in July before the army opened the real one.
The Nigerian Army has opened application for the Short Service Combatant Commission, called SSCC, Course 50/2027. This is for Nigerians who want to join the army as commissioned officers, not as regular soldiers. The announcement came out on Tuesday, and the army said the application window opens on Friday, August 14, 2026, and closes on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
If you have a degree or HND and you’ve been wondering how to join the army without going the recruit route, this is one of the ways in.
What the Nigerian Army Short Service Combatant Commission is about
SSCC is a combat officer route. It’s not for doctors, lawyers, or engineers, that one is called DSSC and it’s a different scheme entirely. SSCC is for graduates who want to lead troops, carry arms, and work in the fighting units of the army.
Once you finish training and get commissioned, you’ll serve in what the army calls Combat Arms, that’s Infantry and Armour, or Combat Support Arms, which covers Artillery, Engineers, Signals, and Intelligence Corps. So depending on where you’re posted, you could end up commanding foot soldiers or handling equipment and communication for the army’s operations.
Who is eligible to apply for the Nigerian Army SSCC Course 50/2027
The army laid out a good number of conditions this time. Go through them one by one before you start filling anything.
You must be a Nigerian citizen by birth, and you have to fall between 23 and 27 years old as of January 10, 2027. Miss that age bracket and there’s no point applying. On education, you need at least a first degree with Second Class Lower or better, or an HND with Lower Credit or better, in arts, sciences, or humanities, from a school the army recognizes. And here’s something a lot of people applying might not know: only certificates gotten from 2018 till now will be accepted, so if your degree is older than that, this particular course may not be for you.
Height matters too. Men need to be at least 1.68 metres, women at least 1.65 metres. You’ll also need to be fit, medically and mentally, by the army’s own standard, that part gets checked properly during screening.
If you’re a civilian applying, you need your NYSC discharge certificate. If you’re already serving in the military, an NYSC exemption certificate will do instead. Civilian applicants also have to bring letters of attestation, one from the school that gave you your degree, and two more from referees who meet the army’s requirements.
A few things will disqualify you outright: a criminal conviction, belonging to a cult or secret society, or having tattoos or body inscriptions. The army was specific about that last one, so if you have tattoos, this course isn’t for you this time.
Documents you’ll need before you start the SSCC application
Get these ready ahead of time so you’re not rushing once the portal opens:
- Recent passport photograph
- Your educational certificates
- Certificate of state of origin
- Birth certificate, or an age declaration if you don’t have one
- NIN slip
- BVN slip
Civilian applicants should also have their attestation letters sorted before they start, since the school letter especially can take some days to process.
How to apply for the Nigerian Army Short Service Combatant Commission Course 50/2027
The application is completely free. Nobody should collect money from you for this, not agents, not “connection men,” nobody. Here’s roughly how the process runs once the portal opens:
Go to the official Nigerian Army recruitment website and pick the SSCC option. You’ll be asked to say whether you’re currently serving, have served before, or you’re a fresh civilian applicant. Choose whichever applies to you, then register with your email address. A verification link lands in your inbox, you click it, set your password, and you’re in. From there you fill out the application form and upload the documents listed above. Go through everything again before you hit submit, one wrong entry and you could get disqualified.
The official portal address the army gave is nashortservice.army.mil.ng. Type it carefully.
Note: This application portal might be down for now, due to high traffic, while too people trying to apply. Save this page, and come back later.
What you get once you’re commissioned
SSCC officers get a 15-year commission. That breaks down as 10 years on the active list to start, and the army can renew it for up to five more years after that. There’s also a path to convert from SSCC to a Regular Combatant Commission later on, though the army made clear that conversion isn’t automatic, it depends on available vacancies and other conditions at the time.
Enquiries
For questions about the application, applicants can call 07016874003 or 07047340295. The lines are open daily from 8am to 6pm.
