•Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has appointed General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for the newly established Army divisions.
The appointments followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the new formations to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity across the country.
Tinubu had approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 new personnel.
The new divisions are: 5 Division Headquarters, Makurdi, to oversee Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states; 9 Division Headquarters, Ilorin, to oversee Kwara and Niger states; 10 Division Headquarters, Jalingo, to oversee Taraba and Adamawa states; and 83 Division Headquarters, Benin City, to oversee Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.
The appointments were announced in a statement on today by the Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele.
The appointments mark the commencement of operations by the new divisions as part of a major reorganisation aimed at expanding the Army’s operational footprint, improving command and control, and enhancing its ability to respond to evolving security threats nationwide.
Under the new deployment, Major General Yakubu Yahaya has been redeployed from Headquarters Joint Task Force (North Central), Operation SAVANNA SHIELD (OPSS), to Headquarters 9 Division, Ilorin, where he will serve as General Officer Commanding and Commander of Operation SAVANNA SHIELD.
Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife has been redeployed from Headquarters 2 Division/Sector 3, Joint Task Force (North West), Operation FANSAN YAMMA, to Headquarters 10 Division, Jalingo, as the General Officer Commanding.
Similarly, Major General Moses Gara has been redeployed from Headquarters Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS), to Headquarters 5 Division, Makurdi, where he assumes the dual appointment of General Officer Commanding and Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE.
Also, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda has been redeployed from the Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance to Headquarters 2 Division, Ibadan, as the General Officer Commanding.
To reinforce the new command structure, the Army also activated three new brigades.
Brigadier General A.O. Odubiyi, formerly of the Army Headquarters Operations Centre, has been appointed Commander, 11 Brigade, Gboko. Brigadier General A.M. Haruna has been redeployed from the Nigerian Army Armour School to command 29 Brigade, Kainji, while Brigadier General R.M. Aminu has been redeployed from the National Defence College as Commander, 10 Brigade, Lafia.
Anele said the newly established divisions would commence operations immediately upon attaining Initial Operational Capability (IOC), while measures were already in place to progressively achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC).
She explained that the phased operationalisation would ensure a seamless transition, operational continuity and rapid force projection across the country.
The Army spokesperson also announced a comprehensive reorganisation of the Army’s divisional Areas of Responsibility to align with the expanded force structure.
Under the new arrangement, 1 Division, Kaduna, will oversee Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while 2 Division, Ibadan, will be responsible for Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states. The 3 Division, Jos, will cover Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states.
The newly established 5 Division, headquartered in Makurdi, will assume responsibility for Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states, while 6 Division, Port Harcourt, will oversee Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states. The 7 Division, Maiduguri, will continue to cover Borno and Yobe states, while 8 Division, Sokoto, will retain responsibility for Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
According to the statement, the newly established 9 Division, headquartered in Ilorin, will oversee Kwara and Niger states, while the new 10 Division, based 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. The newly established 83 Division, headquartered in Benin City, will cover Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states when it becomes operational later this year.
Anele said the COAS 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.
She added that Lt.-Gen. Shaibu reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, protecting the lives and property of law-abiding citizens, and supporting the attainment of lasting peace and security across the country.
