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24,000 new soldiers to bolster Nigerian Army, addressing insurgency, banditry, and kidnappings.
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Three new training facilities approved, capable of producing 12,000 recruits in six months, expandable to 24,000.
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Focus on modern warfare skills and welfare, ensuring operational readiness and mentorship for new personnel
The Nigerian Army has announced plans to recruit and train 24,000 new soldiers as part of a strategic effort to reinforce national security amid rising threats from insurgency, banditry, and school kidnappings.
Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), disclosed the initiative during a visit to the 1 Division in Kaduna on Wednesday, addressing officers ranging from second lieutenants to lieutenant colonels.
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The recruitment forms part of a broader strategy to enhance manpower, operational readiness, and nationwide deployments. Shaibu revealed that three new training facilities, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are set to train 12,000 soldiers within six months, with the capacity to double output to 24,000 if two training streams run simultaneously.
“The facilities are strategically located to equip recruits with modern warfare skills, tactical knowledge, and improved weapons handling,” Shaibu said, stressing that the focus is not only on numbers but also on quality training.
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He reaffirmed the Army’s ‘Soldier First’ principle, pledging improved welfare and support for personnel while urging senior officers to mentor incoming recruits.
The recruitment drive comes as Nigeria grapples with increasing insecurity, highlighted by attacks such as the Kebbi school abduction, where gunmen killed a vice principal and abducted 25 students.
Despite being ranked as the third most powerful military in Africa by Global Firepower 2022, Nigeria’s current manpower and resources—135,000 active personnel, 215,000 total military personnel, 140 aircraft, 376 tanks, and over 2,000 armoured vehicles—remain insufficient to meet operational demands, lawmakers argued.
