Nigeria’s President Green‑Lights Largest Military Expansion In Years
President Bola Tinubu has approved a sweeping upgrade to Nigeria’s armed forces, recruiting 28,000 new soldiers and creating four new army divisions, raising the total number to 12.
The move comes amid a surge of violence from militant Islamists, separatist groups and gang‑like bandits that have killed at least 20 villagers in Zamfara and abducted 46 students in Borno in a single week. The army rescued the students hours after they were taken.
New divisions are meant to boost coordination, intelligence sharing and faster response times. Under the current structure, several divisions cover vast areas stretching across multiple states, stretching their resources during persistent attacks.
In addition to the divisions, three new army headquarters will be established in the northeast and central Nigeria – zones that have suffered from Islamist militancy, cattle‑raid clashes and communal fighting. The government also announced 50,000 new police officers and a record 5.41 trillion naira ($4 bn) allocated to defence and security in the yearly budget.
While U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out a joint operation against jihadists in December, the threat remains high. IS‑linked militants now conduct about 90% of their attacks in sub‑Saharan Africa, with Nigeria’s branch the most active.
