Following President Bola Tinubu’s approval to establish four additional army divisions, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu has greenlit the appointment of new General Officers Commanding (GOCs).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Announced on Wednesday by Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the expansion aims to bolster the army’s force structure, improve command and control, and tackle evolving security threats. The newly formed divisions will kick off operations upon reaching Initial Operational Capability (IOC), eventually scaling up to Full Operational Capability (FOC).

Restructured Divisional Areas of Responsibility:

• 1 Division (Kaduna): Covers Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states.

• 2 Division (Ibadan): Covers Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states.

• 3 Division (Jos): Oversees Plateau, Bauchi, and Gombe states.

• 5 Division (Makurdi – New): Takes charge of Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi states.

• 6 Division (Port Harcourt): Covers Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.

• 7 Division (Maiduguri): Handles Borno and Yobe states.

• 8 Division (Sokoto): Retains Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.

• 9 Division (Ilorin – New): Covers Kwara and Niger states.

• 10 Division (Jalingo – New): Manages border areas of Taraba and Adamawa states.

• 81 Division (Lagos): Oversees Lagos and Ogun states.

• 82 Division (Enugu): Retains Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo states.

• 83 Division (Benin City – New): Scheduled to cover Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa states upon activation later this year.

Key Leadership Deployments & New Brigades:

To command these formations, seasoned senior officers have been assigned to key positions:

• Major General Yakubu Yahaya: Moved from HQ Joint Task Force (North Central) OPSS to head 9 Division, Ilorin.

• Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife: Transferred from HQ 2 Division/Sector 3 JTF (North West) to head 10 Division, Jalingo.

• Major General Moses Gara: Reassigned from JTF Operation WHIRL STROKE to head 5 Division, Makurdi.

• Major General Auwalu Mahmuda: Moved from the Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance to head 2 Division, Ibadan.

Additionally, three new brigades have been activated to support the divisions: 11 Brigade Gboko (under Brigadier General AO Odubiyi), 29 Brigade Kainji (under Brigadier General AM Haruna), and 10 Brigade Lafia (under Brigadier General RM Aminu).

Charging the newly appointed commanders to maintain high standards of discipline and visionary leadership, General Shaibu expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his strategic investments in national defense. The COAS emphasized that the expansive new architecture will optimize troop deployment, fortify border security, and drive lasting peace across the nation.