List Of Army Divisions In Nigeria
All affairs of the Nigerian Army are coordinated by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC) and training centers are supervised by the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) headquartered in Minna.
The army has 8 Divisions in all geopolitical zones of the country with different Areas of responsibilities which cover the entire country and a Training and Doctrine Command headquartered in Minna, Niger State.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to CanadaThe Divisions were established mostly during the Civil War to secure civilians in the country and the others to contain the Boko Haram insurgencies in the country recently.
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1st Division
The first Division of the Nigerian Army was established in 1967 during the Nigerian Civil war to secure territories in its jurisdiction known as Areas of Responsibility (AOR).
The AOR of the first division include the North Western flank of the country and their borders. Then Colonel Murtala Mohammed was the first commander of the division formerly known as 1 Area Command.
Its headquarters are in Kaduna. It is a Mechanised Infantry Division with Combat Support and Combat Service Support Units. It has the following components under its jurisdiction:
1. Rece Battalion at Nguru in Yobe State
2. 1 Mechanised Brigade at Sokoto
3. 65 Mechanised Battalion
4. 81 Motorised Battalion and
5. 223 Light Battalion
It also has the following formations: 3rd Brigade (Kano), 41 Division Engineers formation, and the 31st Artillery Brigade.
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Live, Study and Work in Canada. No Payment is Required! Hurry Now click here to Apply >> Immigrate to Canada2nd Division
The Nigerian Army 2 Division was also created during the civil war between 1967 and 1970 to protect and secure the South-West flank of the country and to ensure the security of its borders.
The Head Quarters is in Ibadan, Oyo State. It is also a mechanized Infantry connected with combat support and combat service support units.
3rd division
The 3rd Armoured Division with Headquarters in Jos, Plateau State is a division of the Nigerian Army created during the civil war in August–September 1967, the same time that 1 Area Command at Kaduna was renamed 1 Infantry Division and 2 Division was created when Colonel Murtala Mohammed was the officer in charge.
The division is Head Quarters are in the Maxwell Kobe Cantonement in Rukuba, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State about thirty minutes’ drive from Jos, Plateau State Capital.
The 3rd Division also has the following formations:
1. 21 Armoured Brigade Maiduguri
2. 23 Armoured Brigade Yola
3. 33 Artillery Brigades includes 331 and 332 Field Artillery Regiments.
4. 23 Brigade which includes 231 and 232 Tank Battalions.
The division is currently commanded by Maj. General B.I Ahanotu.
Read Also: List Of Army Barracks In Nigeria And Their Locations
81st Division
The 81st Division of the Nigerian Army started operation in the year 2000. It was created during the colonial rule to replace the Lagos Garrison Command with its Headquarters in Lagos, the then capital of Nigeria.
The division is mandated to secure the Lagos and Ogun State area and its borders which are important for the economic development of the country.
The 81st Division is also a Mechanised Infantry Division with Combat Support and Combat Service Support Units affiliated to it. It is currently commanded by Maj. Gen. P.J Dauke.
82nd Division (Airborne and Amphibious)
The 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army was established in 1975 after the Civil War with its Headquarters in Enugu. It was created to maintain order in the South Eastern part of the country after the Civil War and to secure the South Eastern and South-Southern flanks of the country and its borders.
The 82nd Division is a composite division with combat support and combat service support units affiliated to it. It is currently commanded by Maj. General A.B Abubakar.
7th Infantry Division (JTF-RO)
This is the youngest division of the Nigerian Army. It was established with the sole aim of dealing with terrorism and armed bandits in the North Eastern part of the country.
The division started operation on 22nd August 2013 following scores of armed robbery and insurgents operations in the North Eastern Region.
The division was created to protect the North Eastern States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States through operations of the Joint Task Force.
The Headquarters of the division are in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The current Grand Officer Commanding is Brig. Gen. A.B Biu.
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6th Division
The 6th Division of the Nigerian Army is the newest of the Nigerian Army formations. It was established on 8 November 2016 with the primary aim of securing Oil and Gas facilities in the Niger Delta and Coastal areas of the country and to secure the borders of the area.
The 6th Division has its Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where the activities of all of the division are coordinated.
8 Division
The 8th Division of the Nigerian Army has its Headquarters in Sokoto, Sokoto Sate. It formally started operation in the year 2017 with the pioneer GOC being Maj. Gen. S.O Olabanji.
It was established to secure Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina States in the North-Western Zone of the country and to secure its borders to avoid spread of the Boko Haram insurgency to those parts of the country.
The establishment of this division could be the reason why insurgency has not yet spread to those parts and hopefully will continue to secure its Area of Responsibility
Training and Doctrine Command
The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Nigerian Army has its Headquarters in Minna, Niger State. It was created in 1981 with the sole aim of guiding the operations of divisions, being the headquarters of knowledgeable officers of the army who offer advice and ideas on training and other activities. It is currently headed by Maj. Gen. R.O Yusuf.
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Conclusion
This is information on about the eight divisions of the Nigerian Army and the Training and Doctrine Command. Unfortunately there is no information on the GOCs in some of the divisions and some of the divisions don’t have sufficient information online.
If there is any more information that is not included here you should feel free to include in the comments section so that people who need the information can get it. Thanks for reading.
