In a landmark decision, President Bola Tinubu approved the recruitment of 28,000 new soldiers and the creation of four additional army divisions, bringing the total to 12.
The move addresses escalating security threats posed by militant Islamist groups, separatists, and bandits who have carried out child abductions, school massacres and violent attacks across Nigeria.
In recent weeks, armed gangs killed at least 20 villagers in the north‑western state of Zamfara and abducted 46 students from a school in Borno state, prompting a swift army rescue that highlighted the need for greater operational capacity.
The new divisions are intended to improve coordination, intelligence sharing and response times, especially because existing divisions must cover vast areas stretching across multiple states.
Alongside the army expansion, the government plans to recruit tens of thousands of police officers and has earmarked a record 5.41 trillion naira (about 4 billion USD) for defence and security in the national budget.
The expansion comes after the U.S. and Nigerian forces launched joint operations against jihadists, including strikes on the Lakurawa group in north‑west Nigeria and the death of senior Islamic State leader Abu‑Bilal al‑Minuki near the Lake Chad Basin.
Despite these initiatives, security experts warn that recruiting young Nigerians into the army may prove difficult, given the high number of soldiers killed each month in conflict zones.
