Army Names GOCs for Four New Divisions in Ilorin, Jalingo, Others
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Army Names GOCs for Four New Divisions in Ilorin, Jalingo, Others
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has approved the appointment of General Officers Commanding, GOC for four newly created Nigerian Army divisions following President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the establishment of additional formations to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
The new divisions, which will be headquartered in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, are expected to boost the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity, improve command and control, and enhance rapid response to emerging security threats across the country.
A statement on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele and obtained by INCNews247, said the new divisions would commence operations upon attaining Initial Operational Capability, while efforts were underway to achieve Full Operational Capability through a phased implementation.
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According to the statement, Major General Yakubu Yahaya has been appointed General Officer Commanding, GOC 9 Division, Ilorin, where he will also serve as Commander of Operation Savannah Shield.
Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife was deployed as the General Officer Commanding, GOC 10 Division, Jalingo, while Major General Moses Gara will head the newly established 5 Division, Makurdi, in addition to serving as Commander of Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke.
The Army also redeployed Major General Auwalu Mahmuda to head the 2 Division in Ibadan as General Officer Commanding, GOC.
As part of the restructuring, the Army activated three new brigades to strengthen the operational effectiveness of the new divisions.
Brigadier General A.O. Odubiyi was appointed Commander of the newly established 11 Brigade, Gboko, while Brigadier General A.M. Haruna will command the 29 Brigade, Kainji. Brigadier General R.M. Aminu was also deployed to lead the 10 Brigade, Lafia.
The reorganisation also reviewed the Areas of Responsibility of existing divisions.
Under the new arrangement, 1 Division Kaduna will oversee Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, while 2 Division Ibadan will cover Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states.
The 3 Division Jos will be responsible for Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states, while the new 5 Division Makurdi will oversee Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states.
Similarly, 6 Division Port Harcourt will cover Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, while 7 Division Maiduguri will retain responsibility for Borno and Yobe states.
The 8 Division Sokoto will continue to oversee Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
The newly created 9 Division, headquartered in Ilorin, will be responsible for Kwara and Niger states, while 10 Division Jalingo will oversee border areas in Taraba and Adamawa states.
The Army said 81 Division Lagos and 82 Division Enugu would retain their existing operational areas, while the newly established 83 Division, headquartered in Benin City, would assume responsibility for Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states upon activation later this year.
Shaibu charged the newly appointed commanders to provide effective leadership, sustain operational momentum and uphold professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
He said the establishment of the additional divisions marked a significant milestone in the transformation of the Nigerian Army and reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the nation’s defence architecture.
The army chief added that the expanded force structure would enhance border security, improve operational coordination, facilitate faster deployment of troops and resources, and reinforce joint operations aimed at tackling the country’s evolving security challenges.
