President Tinubu Approves Major Nigerian Army Restructuring
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, July 23, 2026, approved a sweeping expansion of the Nigerian Army, increasing the force from its current structure to 12 full divisions. The move includes plans to recruit 28,000 additional personnel, marking one of the most significant structural changes to the army in recent years.
The new force structure distributes military coverage across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with each division assigned responsibility for a specific cluster of states. This ensures every geopolitical zone in Nigeria will have at least one dedicated Army division within its territory.
Full List of 12 Divisions and Their Coverage
The approved divisions and their areas of responsibility are as follows:
- 1 Division – Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states)
- 2 Division – Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states)
- 3 Division – Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states)
- 5 Division – Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states)
- 6 Division – Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states)
- 7 Division – Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe states)
- 8 Division – Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states)
- 9 Division – Ilorin (Kwara and Niger states)
- 10 Division – Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa states)
- 81 Division – Lagos (Lagos and Ogun states)
- 82 Division – Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states)
- 83 Division – Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states)
Two-Phase Implementation Plan
The rollout will proceed in two stages. The first phase covers the creation of the 5 Division in Makurdi, the 9 Division in Ilorin, and the 10 Division in Jalingo, alongside the reorganisation of existing formations. This phase is due for completion by September 2026.
The second phase, which includes establishing the 83 Division in Benin City and carrying out further reorganisation across the force, is scheduled to be finalised by December 2026.
The expansion extends formal divisional command to states and regions that previously fell under broader formation zones, enhancing the army's operational reach and responsiveness.
Official Statement and Context
The full statement on the Nigerian Army expansion was shared on X by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. The announcement comes amid ongoing security challenges, including attacks on healthcare workers. A recent report by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, titled 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025', revealed that between 2023 and 2025, armed groups abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities, according to data compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system.
This restructuring is expected to bolster the army's capacity to address insecurity across the nation.
