President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army depot in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, as part of efforts to strengthen the military’s capacity to respond to security challenges across the country.
The development was disclosed on Saturday by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, in a post shared on X. With the approval, the number of army depots in Nigeria has increased to three, complementing the existing facilities in Kaduna and Osogbo.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new depot for the Nigerian Army in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. This brings the number of depots in the country to three,” Olusegun stated.
Speaking in a video accompanying the announcement, the Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Waidi Shaibu, said the decision was driven by the need to boost the strength and readiness of the Nigerian Army in the face of widespread security threats.
“All these steps are aimed at increasing the strength of the Nigerian Army. The reasons are clear: there are security challenges across the length and breadth of the country, cutting across all geopolitical zones,” Shaibu said.
He revealed that the new depot would train an additional 3,500 troops, while another batch of 3,500 soldiers is expected to arrive from the Osogbo depot next week.
According to him, the troops will undergo advanced infantry training before being deployed to various operational theatres.
“With the additional 3,500 troops coming on board, and another 3,500 arriving next week from Osogbo, all the personnel will receive advanced infantry training ahead of deployment to boost our boots on the ground,” he said.
Shaibu added that modern technology would play a key role in the training process, including the use of indoor shooting ranges to enhance marksmanship and overall operational effectiveness.
“Even at the training stage, we are leveraging technology. The indoor shooting range is one of the ways we improve marksmanship. This prepares the troops for more advanced specialist training when they eventually go to the field,” he explained.
The army chief said the new depot is expected to significantly enhance the military’s capacity to respond to security threats and improve operational effectiveness nationwide.
