Isaac Samuel
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has approved the appointment of General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for four newly established Nigerian Army divisions following President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the expansion of the Army’s force structure.
The appointments come less than a week after President Bola Tinubu approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, in what the Presidency described as a major step to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and improve the Army’s operational effectiveness.
Under the approval announced by the Presidency on July 23, four new divisional headquarters are being established in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, with implementation planned in two phases.
The 5 Division (Makurdi), 9 Division (Ilorin) and 10 Division (Jalingo) are expected to become operational first, while the 83 Division (Benin City) will be activated later this year. The expansion is also accompanied by increased investment in military equipment, operational readiness and troop welfare.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Army said the newly established divisions would commence operations after attaining Initial Operational Capability (IOC), while deliberate measures are being implemented to achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC).
According to the statement, the Army has also undertaken a comprehensive reorganisation of its divisional areas of responsibility across the country.
Under the new structure, 1 Division Kaduna will oversee Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while 2 Division Ibadan will cover Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states. 3 Division Jos will be responsible for Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states.
The newly established 5 Division, with headquarters in Makurdi, will oversee Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states, while 6 Division Port Harcourt will cover Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
7 Division Maiduguri will remain responsible for Borno and Yobe states, while 8 Division Sokoto will continue to oversee Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
The Army also created 9 Division, headquartered in Ilorin, to cover Kwara and Niger states, while the newly established 10 Division, headquartered in Jalingo, will be responsible for the border areas of Taraba and Adamawa states.
The 81 Division Lagos will continue to oversee Lagos and Ogun states, while 82 Division Enugu will retain responsibility for Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states.
A newly established 83 Division, with headquarters in Benin City, will cover Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states when activated later this year.
To lead the new formations, the COAS appointed Major General Yakubu Yahaya as General Officer Commanding 9 Division Ilorin and Commander of Operation SAVANNA SHIELD after his redeployment from the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North Central), Operation SAVANNA SHIELD.
Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife was redeployed from Headquarters 2 Division/Sector 3 Joint Task Force (North West), Operation FANSAN YAMMA, to serve as General Officer Commanding 10 Division Jalingo, while Major General Moses Gara was redeployed from Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE to head 5 Division Makurdi, where he will also serve as Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE.
Similarly, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda was redeployed from the Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance to serve as General Officer Commanding 2 Division Ibadan.
The Army also activated three new brigades to reinforce the newly established divisions. Brigadier General A.O. Odubiyi will command 11 Brigade Gboko, Brigadier General A.M. Haruna will head 29 Brigade Kainji, while Brigadier General R.M. Aminu has been appointed Commander of 10 Brigade Lafia.
Shaibu congratulated the newly appointed commanders and charged them to provide visionary leadership, sustain operational momentum and uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and mission effectiveness.
He also thanked President Tinubu for approving the establishment of the additional divisions, describing the development as a historic milestone in the transformation of the Nigerian Army and a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s defence architecture.
The Army Chief expressed confidence that the expanded force structure would enhance command and control, improve operational coordination, strengthen border security, facilitate faster deployment of troops and resources, and increase the Army’s capacity to respond decisively to emerging security threats across the country.
He added that the new divisions would also bolster joint and multi-agency operations and contribute to lasting peace and national security.
