ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army's force structure from eight to 12 divisions alongside the recruitment of 28,000 additional troops to strengthen national defense capabilities and improve response times across volatile regions.

The directive was formally announced in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, detailing that the expansion is part of broader investments in military hardware acquisition, force modernization, and troop welfare.

The restructuring establishes four brand-new divisional headquarters located in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo, and Benin City, aiming to decentralize operational decision-making, secure critical infrastructure, and boost counter-insurgency operations nationwide.

According to the Presidency, expanding the army's operational footprint will sharpen command-and-control capabilities, improve border security, and shorten emergency response times against emerging threats.

The revised structure assigns specific state coverage zones to each of the 12 divisional headquarters to ensure complete territorial defense:

• 1 Division (HQ Kaduna): Covers Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states.
• 2 Division (HQ Ibadan): Covers Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states.
• 3 Division (HQ Jos): Covers Plateau, Bauchi, and Gombe states.
• 5 Division (HQ Makurdi): Covers Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi states.
• 6 Division (HQ Port Harcourt): Covers Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.
• 7 Division (HQ Maiduguri): Covers Borno and Yobe states.
• 8 Division (HQ Sokoto): Covers Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.
• 9 Division (HQ Ilorin): Covers Kwara and Niger states.
• 10 Division (HQ Jalingo): Covers Taraba and Adamawa states.
• 81 Division (HQ Lagos): Covers Lagos and Ogun states.
• 82 Division (HQ Enugu): Covers Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo states.
• 83 Division (HQ Benin City): Covers Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa states.

The Presidential spokesperson confirmed that the force restructuring will be executed in two distinct phases throughout the year to manage troop deployments and infrastructure setup:

• Phase 1 (Completion by September 2026): Establishes 5 Division (Makurdi), 9 Division (Ilorin), and 10 Division (Jalingo), alongside the initial reorganization of existing formations.
• Phase 2 (Completion by December 2026): Establishes 83 Division (Benin City) and finalizes the overarching structural realignments.