In a major move to strengthen national defense and improve operational responsiveness across all geopolitical zones, President Bola Tinubu has approved expanding the Nigerian Army’s command structure from eight to 12 divisions while authorizing the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel.
In a major strategic initiative designed to fortify Nigeria’s national defense capabilities, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has officially approved expanding the structural framework of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions.
Announced through an official executive statement issued on Thursday, July 23, 2026, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the milestone restructuring is accompanied by presidential authorization for the immediate recruitment of 28,000 additional military personnel.
The comprehensive expansion reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to counter evolving security threats, modernizing force projection, and enhancing troop welfare, technical platform acquisition, and field readiness across all region-specific operational theaters.
Under the newly approved force disposition, the Nigerian Army will operate 12 divisions strategically stationed across the country to decentralize command-and-control operations and accelerate tactical response times.
Four newly created divisions have been established in key operational hubs: the 5 Division Headquarters in Makurdi, covering Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi States; the 9 Division Headquarters in Ilorin, covering Kwara and Niger States; the 10 Division Headquarters in Jalingo, covering Taraba and Adamawa States; and the 83 Division Headquarters in Benin City, overseeing Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa States.
These join the existing, re-aligned formations comprising 1 Division in Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa); 2 Division in Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo); 3 Division in Jos (Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe); 6 Division in Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River); 7 Division in Maiduguri (Borno, Yobe); 8 Division in Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara); 81 Division in Lagos (Lagos, Ogun); and 82 Division in Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Imo).
The establishment of headquarters in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo, and Benin City is projected to enhance border security, protect critical national energy and agricultural infrastructure, optimize counter-insurgency operations, and ensure rapid military deployment during emerging localized crises. Implementation of the new force structure will proceed in two structured phases.
Phase One—encompassing the formal establishment of the 5, 9, and 10 Divisions alongside the re-alignment of surrounding operational commands—is scheduled for full completion by September 2026.
Phase Two, which focuses on standing up the 83 Division in Benin City and finalizing secondary organizational adjustments, will conclude by December 2026.
Commending Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu along with the officers and men of the Nigerian Army, President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s determination to sustain investments in modern combat equipment, ensuring the armed forces remain fully equipped, motivated, and capable of safeguarding national sovereignty.
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