The plan is designed to improve military effectiveness, enhance intelligence gathering, strengthen operational coordination and ensure a more proactive response to emerging security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
It provides a long-term framework for aligning national defence priorities, operational requirements, military capability development and expenditure with Nigeria’s current and anticipated security challenges.
The initiative forms part of the Tinubu administration’s broader efforts to reposition the country’s security architecture towards a more coordinated, intelligence-led, technology-driven and prevention-focused system.
According to figures released by the administration, ongoing military operations over the past three years have resulted in the elimination of more than 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits.
The government also said more than 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and their dependants had surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor, its rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents.
The figures highlight the administration’s two-pronged approach to tackling insecurity, combining sustained military operations with non-kinetic interventions aimed at addressing the underlying drivers of violence.
Military expansion, recruitment drive
As part of efforts to strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity, President Tinubu has approved the creation of four new Army divisions and the restructuring of existing military formations.
The reforms are intended to expand military coverage, decentralise operations and enable troops to respond more rapidly to security threats across the country.
The President has also approved the establishment of two additional Army depots in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State, to expand military training capacity and accelerate the recruitment and training of new personnel.
Each facility is designed to accommodate 6,000 recruits at a time, bringing their combined training capacity to 12,000.
The Osogbo depot is already demonstrating its capacity, with 5,210 recruits currently undergoing training.
The expansion of the facilities is expected to reduce recruitment and training turnaround time while increasing the number of soldiers available for deployment.
In a further boost to military manpower, Tinubu has approved the recruitment of an additional 28,000 soldiers to strengthen the military’s presence on the ground and improve its operational effectiveness.
The administration has also approved the recruitment of 50,000 additional police officers as part of wider efforts to reinforce internal security, expand policing capacity and improve responses to criminal activities.
Investment in military infrastructure and personnel welfare
Beyond investments in equipment, technology and training, the administration is also prioritising military accommodation and operational infrastructure to improve personnel welfare and effectiveness.
A key project in this regard is the construction of a 700-unit military barracks in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The facility is designed to provide military personnel with improved living and working conditions, alongside essential infrastructure to support their operational responsibilities.
The project is expected to strengthen the military’s capacity to maintain an effective presence in the area by providing personnel with the accommodation and logistical support required for sustained operations.
The measures reflect the administration’s determination to address manpower and infrastructure deficiencies, strengthen the capacity of security agencies and ensure that personnel are adequately trained, equipped and deployed to areas facing security challenges.
Intelligence, surveillance and operational coordination
Under the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, the Federal Government is adopting a more strategic approach to national defence, with security-sector investments expected to be guided by clearly identified threats, operational requirements and national priorities.
The framework is intended to strengthen combat readiness, address critical capability gaps, optimise available resources and reduce unnecessary expenditure and wastage.
It is also expected to improve coordination among security agencies while ensuring that military operations and investments are better aligned with the evolving nature of threats across the country.
Through the five-year framework, the Tinubu administration aims to establish a more effective, responsive and sustainable defence system capable of confronting Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
