By Hosea Parah
President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to twelve divisions to strengthen its capacity to tackle insecurity across the country.
This was disclosed on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s spokesman, who said Mr Tinubu also approved the recruitment of 28,000 personnel to strengthen national security.
He said the approval underscored the president’s commitment to equipping the Armed Forces of Nigeria to effectively address the country’s evolving security challenges and further strengthen national defence capabilities.
“The expansion builds on the administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improvements in troop welfare, and ongoing support for operational readiness and force modernisation,” Onanuga said.
He said the new structure of the army would comprise 12 divisions strategically positioned across the country.
He stated that the Kaduna division would cover Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while the Ibadan division would cover Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.
Onanuga added that the Jos division would cover Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states, while the Makurdi division would cover Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states. The Port Harcourt division would cover Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
According to him, the Maiduguri division will cover Borno and Yobe states, while the Sokoto division will cover Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
He noted that the Ilorin division would cover Kwara and Niger states, while the Jalingo division would cover Taraba and Adamawa states.
He also stated that the 81 Division, headquartered in Lagos, would cover Lagos and Ogun states, while the 82 Division, headquartered in Enugu, would cover Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states.
Onanuga said the 83 Division, headquartered in Benin City, would cover Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.
“The establishment of the new divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City will significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure, and improve counter-insurgency,” he said.
He explained that the implementation of the new force structure would be carried out in two phases.
According to him, the first phase, covering the establishment of the five, nine and 10 divisions and the reorganisation of existing formations, will be completed by September 2026.
He said the second phase, involving the establishment of the 83 Division and further reorganisation, is expected to be completed by December 2026.
Tinubu commended the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, and soldiers for their dedication, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.