…approves creation of four new divisions, 28,000 additional troops
By Precious Mark
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the restructuring of the Nigerian Army’s command structure.
The President approved an increase in the Army’s division from eight to twelve divisions.
This is also alongside the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel to bolster the country’s national defense and counter emerging security threats across the country.
In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga conveying the approval, the restructuring is aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness and decentralizing command decision-making across the Armed Forces.
Under the revised national force structure, four new divisional headquarters will be established in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo, and Benin City to improve response times and safeguard critical national infrastructure.
The updated structure realigns operational coverage across the country.
In the northern and central regions, 1 Division in Kaduna retains oversight of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa States, while 3 Division in Jos covers Plateau, Bauchi, and Gombe States.
The newly established 5 Division in Makurdi takes responsibility for Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi States, 7 Division in Maiduguri oversees Borno and Yobe States, and 8 Division in Sokoto manages Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara States.
Also, the new 9 Division in Ilorin will handle Kwara and Niger States, while the new 10 Division in Jalingo oversees Taraba and Adamawa States.
Across the southern regions, 2 divisions in Ibadan remain in charge of Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo States, while 81 Division in Lagos manages Lagos and Ogun States.
In the South-East, 82 Division in Enugu continues to cover Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo States.
The South-South area will now be divided between 6 Division in Port Harcourt, which covers Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States, and the newly created 83 Division in Benin City, which takes responsibility for Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa States.
On the implementation, the statement noted that the restructuring will be executed in two distinct phases to ensure smooth operational transitions.
The first phase, covering the operationalization of the 5, 9, and 10 Divisions alongside existing force reorganizations, is scheduled for completion by September 2026. The second phase, incorporating the 83 Division, will be completed by December 2026.
President Tinubu also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, and personnel of the Nigerian Army for their dedication to protecting the nation’s sovereignty, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to continuous force modernization, platform acquisition, and troop welfare.