President Bola Tinubu has approved a major expansion of the Nigerian Army, increasing its operational structure from eight to 12 divisions and authorising the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s capacity to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats.
The approval, announced in a State House statement on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, represents one of the most significant reorganisations of the Army in recent years and comes amid sustained military operations against insurgents in the North-East, bandits in the North-West, violent criminal groups in the North-Central and separatist agitators in parts of the South-East.
According to the Presidency, the expansion is aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s security architecture by improving the Army’s operational effectiveness, decentralising command structures and enabling faster responses to emerging security challenges across the country.
The new force structure will see the Nigerian Army operate 12 divisions strategically spread across the federation.
Under the arrangement, the 1 Division will remain in Kaduna, covering Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while the 2 Division in Ibadan will oversee Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.
The 3 Division, headquartered in Jos, will cover Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states, while the 5 Division, one of the newly created formations, will be based in Makurdi with responsibility for Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states.
The 6 Division in Port Harcourt will continue to oversee Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, while the 7 Division in Maiduguri will retain responsibility for Borno and Yobe states.
The 8 Division in Sokoto will cover Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, while another newly created formation, the 9 Division in Ilorin, will supervise Kwara and Niger states.
The 10 Division, to be headquartered in Jalingo, will oversee Taraba and Adamawa states.
Meanwhile, the 81 Division in Lagos will continue to cover Lagos and Ogun states, the 82 Division in Enugu will oversee Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states, while the newly established 83 Division in Benin City will have operational responsibility for Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.
The Presidency said the establishment of the new divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City would significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security and enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure.
It added that the reorganisation would also bolster counter-insurgency and internal security operations while ensuring quicker deployment of troops to emerging flashpoints nationwide.
Implementation of the restructuring will be carried out in two phases.
The first phase, involving the establishment of the 5, 9 and 10 Divisions as well as the reorganisation of existing formations, is expected to be completed by September 2026.
The second phase, which includes the creation of the 83 Division and additional restructuring, is scheduled for completion by December 2026.
The Presidency said the expansion builds on the Tinubu administration’s sustained investment in the Armed Forces, including the approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, procurement of military hardware and equipment, improvements in troop welfare and continued support for operational readiness and force modernisation.
Nigeria has battled multiple security crises for more than a decade, with the military confronting Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgents in the North-East, armed bandit groups in the North-West, communal violence in parts of the North-Central, crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and separatist-related violence in the South-East.
Security experts have repeatedly argued that the increasing complexity of these threats has overstretched existing military formations, prompting calls for expanded troop strength, enhanced logistics, improved intelligence gathering and decentralised command structures to enable faster operational responses.
President Tinubu, according to the statement, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the Armed Forces to ensure they remain adequately equipped and motivated to safeguard Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The President also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, as well as officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for what he described as their professionalism, dedication and steadfast commitment to defending the nation.
