Tinubu approves expansion of Nigerian Army to 12 divisions, recruitment of 28,000 personnel

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, ABUJA PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, has approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to 12 divisions—a landmark move to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army. Read Also: 311 Reps pass state police bill, as minority caucus walks out A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the approval underscores the president’s unwavering commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges effectively and to strengthen national defence capabilities further. The statement explained that 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.

The Nigerian Army divisions Under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate twelve divisions, strategically positioned across the country as follows: 1 Division Headquarters – Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States) 2 Division Headquarters – Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States) 3 Division Headquarters – Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States) 5 Division Headquarters – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States) 6 Division Headquarters – Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States) 7 Division Headquarters – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe States) 8 Division Headquarters – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States) 9 Division Headquarters – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger States) 10 Division Headquarters – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa States) 81 Division Headquarters – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun States) 82 Division Headquarters – Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States) 83 Division Headquarters – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States). According to the statement: “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, improve counter-insurgency and internal security operations, and ensure faster military response to emerging threats nationwide. “Implementation of the new force structure wil…