In its effort to fight insurgency, NIgeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the creation of four new divisions to take the structure of the Army to 12.
A major restructuring aimed to strengthen the army and prepare the institution for the existential security challenges was announced Thursday.
The president also authorised the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel.
He described the move as part of his administration’s broader efforts to improve operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces in response to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
An army division is a large military unit, made up of 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers, led by a major-general, and containing all the necessary combat and support teams to work independently.
In Nigeria, an army division oversees more than one state and made up of more than one brigade.
A brigade is a major military unit, consisting of 2,000 to 5,000 soldiers. It is typically composed of two to five battalions or regiments and is commanded by a brigadier-general.
Giving reasons for the Presidential action, his spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the expansion builds on the Tinubu administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including the acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improved troop welfare, force modernisation and enhanced operational readiness.
“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,” Onanuga said in a statement.
Under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate 12 divisions strategically spread across the country.
The existing formations are: 1 Division in Kaduna, covering Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states; the 2 Division in Ibadan, responsible for Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo; the 3 Division in Jos, covering Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe; the 6 Division in Port Harcourt, charge of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River; the 7 Division in Maiduguri, responsible for Borno and Yobe; the 8 Division in Sokoto takes charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara; the 81 Division in Lagos, covering Lagos and Ogun; and the 82 Division in Enugu, responsible for Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states.
The four new divisions created under the restructuring are: the 5 Division in Makurdi, which will oversee Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states; the 9 Division in Ilorin, covers Kwara and Niger; the 10 Division in Jalingo, responsible for Taraba and Adamawa; and the 83 Division in Benin City, will take charge of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.
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The Presidency said the creation of the new divisions would significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure and improve counter-insurgency as well as other internal security operations.
It added that the restructuring would also enable faster military responses to emerging security threats across the country.
Implementation of the new force structure will be carried out in two phases.
According to the Presidency, the first phase, which includes the establishment of the 5, 9 and 10 divisions alongside the reorganisation of existing formations, is expected to be completed by September.
