Army appoints GOCs for four new divisions, redeploys brigadier generals
Waidi Shaibu, the chief of army staff (COAS), has approved the appointment of general officers commanding (GOC) for the newly established Nigerian Army divisions.
Last Thursday, President Bola Tinubu approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions and recruitment of 28,000 personnel.
The presidency said the approval is a “landmark move to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army”.
Under the new structure, the army will operate 12 divisions: 1 division headquarters, Kaduna (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states), 2 division headquarters, Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states), 3 Division Headquarters, Jos (Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe states), and 5 division headquarters, Makurdi (Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi states).
Others are 6 division headquarters, Port Harcourt (Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states), 7 division headquarters, Maiduguri (Borno and Yobe states), 8 division headquarters, Sokoto (Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states), and 9 division headquarters, Ilorin (Kwara and Niger states).
It also comprises 10 division headquarters, Jalingo (Taraba and Adamawa states), 81 division headquarters, Lagos (Lagos and Ogun states), 82 division headquarters, Enugu (Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states), and 83 division headquarters, Benin City (Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states.
THE APPOINTMENTS
Appolonia Anele, acting director, army public relations, announced the appointments of the four newly established Nigerian Army divisions in a statement on Wednesday.
The army spokesperson said newly established divisions will immediately commence operations in their respective locations on attainment of initial operational capability (IOC).
She added that measures are being implemented for the new divisions to “progressively attain full operational capability (FOC)”.
The appointments are as follow:
Major General Yakubu Yahaya Headquarters of Joint Task Force (North Central), Operation SAVANNA SHIELD Headquarters 9 Division, Ilorin, and Commander, Operation SAVANNA SHIELD
Major General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife Headquarters 2 Division/Sector 3 Joint Task Force (North West), Operation FANSAN YAMMA Headquarters 10 Division, Jalingo
Major General Moses Gara Headquarters, Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE Headquarters 9 Division, Ilorin, and Commander, Operation SAVANNA SHIELD.
Major General Auwalu Mahmuda Army Headquarters Directorate of Inspection and Compliance Headquarters 2 Division, Ibadan,
Anele said in order to strengthen the newly created divisions, three new brigades have been activated.
The newly established brigades have AO Odubiyi, a brigadier general from army headquarters operations centre as commander of the headquarters of 11 brigade, Gboko.
AM Haruna, a brigadier general, was posted from the Nigerian Army armour school to Commander of Headquarters 29 Brigade Kainji, while RM Aminu, a brigadier general, redeployed from the National Defence College, will now head the Headquarters of 10 Brigade Lafia.
