Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has charged officers of the Nigerian Army to strengthen the newly established formations and use their appointments to improve the military’s ability to respond to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The directive comes as the Army continues implementing a major restructuring of its force structure following President Bola Tinubu’s approval to expand the service from eight to 12 divisions. The restructuring is intended to improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making and allow troops to respond more quickly to security threats across the country.
The expansion created new divisions headquartered in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City. The Army has also reorganised the areas of responsibility of existing divisions to give the formations clearer geographical mandates.
Under the new arrangement, the 5 Division in Makurdi is responsible for Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states, while the 9 Division in Ilorin covers Kwara and Niger. The 10 Division in Jalingo has responsibility for Taraba and Adamawa, while the new 83 Division in Benin City is expected to cover Edo, Delta and Bayelsa once fully activated.
The restructuring is being implemented in phases. The Army previously stated that the new formations would begin operations after attaining Initial Operational Capability, while measures would continue towards achieving Full Operational Capability. The 83 Division is scheduled for activation later in 2026 under the second phase of the restructuring.
For the Army leadership, the creation of additional divisions is not simply an administrative exercise. The larger objective is to put command structures closer to areas facing security threats and reduce the distance between military headquarters and operational areas.
That could be particularly important in regions where insecurity involves different forms of violence, including banditry, terrorism, communal conflict and attacks on critical infrastructure. A more decentralised structure could allow commanders to make decisions closer to the areas where operations are taking place, although the effectiveness of that approach will ultimately depend on personnel, equipment, intelligence, logistics and coordination with other security agencies.
The COAS has also continued to make leadership changes across existing formations. On September 9, the Army announced the redeployment of senior officers to key command and operational positions, including the appointment of Major General IA Ajose as Theatre Commander of Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai. The Army said the broader exercise was designed to strengthen operational effectiveness and ensure appropriate experience and expertise were deployed to critical commands.
The new divisional structure is also taking place alongside plans to increase the size of the Army. The Presidency announced in July that the expansion would be supported by the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, alongside investments in military equipment, troop welfare and operational readiness.
For the officers taking responsibility for the new formations, the challenge will be to turn the structural changes into measurable improvements on the ground. Establishing headquarters and appointing commanders can improve the chain of command, but it does not automatically translate into better security.
The new divisions will require sufficient personnel, functioning bases, mobility, communications equipment, intelligence capabilities and sustained logistical support. Their ability to work effectively with the police, other military formations and civilian authorities will also be important, particularly in areas where security operations cross traditional geographical boundaries.
The restructuring therefore represents a significant change in the way the Nigerian Army is organised, but its ultimate success will be judged by operational outcomes rather than the number of new headquarters created.
If the new formations can improve response times, strengthen coordination and maintain sustained pressure on armed groups, the expanded structure could become an important component of Nigeria’s security strategy. If resources and operational capacity fail to keep pace with the expansion, however, the additional divisions could create new administrative structures without producing the intended improvement in security.
For now, the Army leadership is asking its commanders to make the new structure work. The coming months will provide a clearer indication of whether the reorganisation can translate into stronger military effectiveness across the areas covered by the new divisions.
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