Army names new GOCs as divisions expand to 12

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has appointed General Officers Commanding for four newly established Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, following President Tinubu’s approval to expand the Army from eight to 12 divisions.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has appointed General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for the newly established Army divisions.

The Nation reports that the appointments followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the new formations to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity across the country. Tinubu had approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to 12 divisions, alongside the recruitment of 28,000 new personnel.

The new divisions are: 5 Division Headquarters, Makurdi, overseeing Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states; 9 Division Headquarters, Ilorin, overseeing Kwara and Niger states; 10 Division Headquarters, Jalingo, overseeing Taraba and Adamawa states; and 83 Division Headquarters, Benin City, overseeing Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.

The appointments were announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, marking the commencement of operations by the new divisions as part of a major reorganisation aimed at expanding the Army’s operational footprint and enhancing its response to evolving security threats.

Under the new deployment, Major General Yakubu Yahaya moves to Headquarters 9 Division, Ilorin, as GOC and Commander of Operation SAVANNA SHIELD. Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife takes charge of Headquarters 10 Division, Jalingo, while Major General Moses Gara assumes the dual role of GOC and Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE at Headquarters 5 Division, Makurdi. Major General Auwalu Mahmuda has been redeployed to Headquarters 2 Division, Ibadan, as GOC.

Three new brigades were also activated, with Brigadier General A.O. Odubiyi commanding 11 Brigade, Gboko; Brigadier General A.M. Haruna commanding 29 Brigade, Kainji; and Brigadier General R.M. Aminu commanding 10 Brigade, Lafia.

Anele said the new divisions would commence operations immediately upon attaining Initial Operational Capability, with measures in place to progressively achieve Full Operational Capability.

The Army also announced a reorganisation of divisional Areas of Responsibility, with 1 Division, Kaduna, covering Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa; 2 Division, Ibadan, covering Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo; and other divisions retaining or gaining specific state coverage nationwide.