Nigeria: Army Chief Appoints General Officers Commanding for Newly Established Nigerian Army Divisions

What the report says

Premium Times, in a report distributed by AllAfrica, says Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has approved new General Officers Commanding for recently created Nigerian Army divisions. The move follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval to expand the Army’s force structure and comes alongside a wider redrawing of divisional areas of responsibility, according to a Wednesday statement from Acting Director of Army Public Relations Col. Appolonia Anele.

The appointments include Maj. Gen. Yakubu Yahaya to 9 Division in Ilorin, where he will also command Operation SAVANNA SHIELD; Maj. Gen. Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife to 10 Division in Jalingo; Maj. Gen. Moses Gara to 5 Division in Makurdi, while also leading Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE; and Maj. Gen. Auwalu Mahmuda to 2 Division in Ibadan. The Army also named commanders for three newly activated brigades in Gboko, Kainji and Lafia.

Under the revised structure, newly created or reassigned divisions will cover several regions, including 5 Division in Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi; 9 Division in Kwara and Niger; 10 Division in Taraba and Adamawa; and 83 Division in Edo, Delta and Bayelsa when activated later in the year. Existing divisions in Kaduna, Ibadan, Jos, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Lagos and Enugu retain or adjust responsibilities across other states.

The Army said the new formations will begin work after reaching Initial Operational Capability, with full capability to follow in phases. The restructuring is presented as an effort to improve command, deployment and coordination as Nigeria faces varied security pressures, including insurgency, banditry, communal violence and border-related threats.