New Commanders Appointed for Nigerian Army Divisions

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has appointed General Officers Commanding for four new divisions in the Nigerian Army. This follows President Bola Tinubu's approval to expand the Army's structure.

These appointments are part of a big change in the Nigerian Army. The goal is to improve command and control, widen operational coverage, and boost the Army's ability to handle Nigeria’s changing security issues.

Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, shared this news in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement mentioned that the new divisions will start operations as soon as they reach Initial Operational Capability. There are plans to achieve Full Operational Capability through a step-by-step process. This will help ensure smooth operations and quick troop deployment across the country.

New Commanders Appointed

As part of the new appointments, Major General Yakubu Yahaya has been moved from the Headquarters Joint Task Force in the North Central to the Headquarters 9 Division in Ilorin. He will serve as General Officer Commanding and Commander of Operation SAVANNA SHIELD.

Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife will leave the Headquarters 2 Division in the North West and take charge at the Headquarters 10 Division in Jalingo.

Major General Moses Gara will move from the Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE to the Headquarters 5 Division in Makurdi. He will serve as both General Officer Commanding and Commander of the Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE.

Additionally, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda will transfer from the Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance to the Headquarters 2 Division in Ibadan, where he will be the General Officer Commanding.

To strengthen the new divisions, the Army has also set up three new brigades.

Brigadier General A.O. Odubiyi, who was previously at the Army Headquarters Operations Centre, is now the Commander of the new 11 Brigade in Gboko.

Brigadier General A.M. Haruna has been moved from the Nigerian Army Armour School to lead the new 29 Brigade in Kainji. Brigadier General R.M. Aminu has shifted from the National Defence College to head the new 10 Brigade in Lafia.

Army Restructures Operational Commands

These new appointments come with a major reorganisation of the Army's divisional areas.

With this new setup, 1 Division in Kaduna will oversee Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states. The 2 Division in Ibadan will cover Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states.

The 3 Division in Jos will be responsible for Plateau, Bauchi, and Gombe states. The newly formed 5 Division in Makurdi will oversee Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi states.

6 Division in Port Harcourt will cover Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states. 7 Division in Maiduguri will still take care of Borno and Yobe states.

8 Division in Sokoto will continue overseeing Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states. The new 9 Division in Ilorin will handle Kwara and Niger states, while the 10 Division in Jalingo will be in charge of Taraba and Adamawa states.

The 81 Division in Lagos will still cover Lagos and Ogun states, and the 82 Division in Enugu will manage Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo states.

A new 83 Division in Benin City will take care of Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa states.

Army Chief Encourages Commanders

Lieutenant General Shaibu congratulated the new commanders. He asked them to show strong leadership, keep operational momentum, and maintain high standards of professionalism and discipline.

He also confirmed the Army's commitment to protecting Nigeria's sovereignty and the lives of citizens. He thanked President Tinubu for approving the new divisions. He sees this as a big step in transforming the Nigerian Army and shows the government's commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s defense.

He believes that this expanded structure will boost command and control, improve coordination, strengthen border security, allow for faster troop deployments, and enhance the Army's ability to tackle security threats across the nation.