President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a major expansion of the Nigerian Army’s command structure from eight to twelve divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel to bolster national security.
The landmark decision is aimed at strengthening the country’s security architecture, enhancing force modernization, and improving the operational readiness of the Armed Forces against evolving threats.
The creation of four new strategic division headquarters, located in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo, and Benin City, is designed to decentralize command and control across the military.
According to the State House press release, this restructuring will significantly enhance border security, protect critical national infrastructure, boost counter-insurgency operations, and ensure faster tactical responses to emerging security challenges nationwide.
The restructuring will be executed in two distinct phases throughout 2026. Phase One, scheduled for completion by September 2026, involves the establishment of the 5, 9, and 10 Divisions alongside the reorganization of existing formations. Phase Two will see the formal rollout of the 83 Division in Benin City and final organizational realignments by December 2026.
Under the expanded framework, the twelve army divisions will cover specific regional zones across all six geopolitical areas. The new additions comprise the 5 Division headquartered in Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi), the 9 Division in Ilorin (Kwara, Niger), the 10 Division in Jalingo (Taraba, Adamawa), and the 83 Division in Benin City (Edo, Delta, Bayelsa). These join existing formations: 1 Division in Kaduna, 2 Division in Ibadan, 3 Division in Jos, 6 Division in Port Harcourt, 7 Division in Maiduguri, 8 Division in Sokoto, 81 Division in Lagos, and 82 Division in Enugu.
Commending the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, alongside officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for their steadfast dedication, President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing continuous investment in equipment, platform acquisitions, and troop welfare to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
