The Nigerian Army has announced plans to recruit and train an additional 28,000 soldiers as part of efforts to boost its manpower and strengthen ongoing operations against insecurity across the country.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja to herald the 2026 Nigerian Army Day Celebration.
Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plan, (Army), Maj Gen. Bamidele Alabi, Shaibu said the recruitment drive followed the establishment of a new training depot at Amasiri Edda, which has become the third institution dedicated to training recruits for the Nigerian Army.
He said, “Manpower is as important as the equipment required to fight insecurity. To this end, we have expanded our recruitment scope by establishing another training depot at Amasiri Edda, making it the third institution to train able-bodied civilians for the Nigerian Army, thereby enhancing our manpower.
“With this action, the Nigerian Army is expected to recruit and train an additional 28,000 troops to help stem the tide of insecurity across the country,” he added.
The army chief said the service had also established additional brigades and units while reviewing its force structure to address deployment gaps and respond more effectively to emerging security threats.
“Accordingly, the Nigerian Army has established additional brigades and units to boost our operations, while continuously reviewing our force structure to cover observed gaps in our deployments to address emerging security challenges across the country,” he said.
