By Reportcircle Abuja
In a sweeping move set to recalibrate the leadership architecture of the Nigerian Army, the Army Council on Thursday, 27 November 2025, approved the promotion of 105 senior officers to the strategic ranks of Major General and Brigadier General, an elevation analysts describe as one of the most consequential in recent years.
The promotions 28 new Major Generals and 77 newly minted Brigadier Generals signal a deliberate strengthening of the Army’s operational, intelligence, logistics and command capacities amid Nigeria’s evolving security landscape.
Among the officers catapulted into the top tier of military leadership are key figures already shaping national defence operations.
Brigadier General O. Adegbe of the Defence Intelligence Agency rises to Major General, alongside Brigadier General S.M. Uba, the Director of Defence Information; Brigadier General R.E. Hedima, Acting Chief of Military Intelligence (Army); and Brigadier General R.T. Utsaha, Deputy Director of Defence Operations.
The strategic depth of the elevation continued with the promotion of Brigadier General A.M. Umar, Commandant of the Warrant Officer Academy; Brigadier General S. Sulaiman, Deputy Military Secretary (Army); Brigadier General I.O. Bassey, Director of the Nigerian Army Operations Centre; and Brigadier General C.A. Ekeator of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
The procurement and logistics chain also received a boost, with the Acting Director of Procurement at Army Headquarters, Brigadier General S.Y. Yakasai, joining the elite cadre.
Others include Brigadier General W.L. Nzidee of Army Logistics, Brigadier General S.A. Emmanuel of the Nigerian Army Signals, Brigadier General S.S. Tilawan, Acting Commander, Sector 3, Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, and Brigadier General M.O. Agi, Desk Officer at the Nigerian Defence Academy. Brigadier General I.M. Abbas, Commander 34 Brigade, was equally elevated, while Brigadier General Z.A. Saidu was honoured posthumously.
The new Brigadier Generals drawn from operations, training, intelligence, medical services, civil-military relations, provost duties, logistics, specialised brigades and strategic command units reflect a broad-based consolidation across the Army’s operational ecosystem.
They include Colonels Y. Ibrahim of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, N.N. Gambo of Civil Military Affairs, A. Saidu of Army Finance Corps, A. Ali of Army Headquarters Garrison, I. Waziri from the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, and M.M. Sani of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.
Also elevated are Colonels A.A. Alkali of the Nigerian Army Dog Centre, A.O. Ndah of Army Training, I.B. Sheriff of Headquarters 9 Brigade, K.R. Apata of the Provost Group, M.K. Akpuogwu of Operation Whirl Stroke, P.U. Nnaji of the Operations Monitoring Support Team, and M.T. Nagudu of the Army Armour School.
Colonel K.O. Bukoye, Commander 401 Special Forces Brigade, joins the new cadre of generals, alongside several rising stars from the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, reference hospitals, and formations under Operation HADIN KAI.
Congratulating the officers, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu (NAM), charged them to approach their new responsibilities with sharpened professional zeal.
He urged the newly promoted generals to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering leadership that is bold, innovative, and unafraid to challenge convention.
According to him, Nigeria’s security terrain demands “swift, decisive, and unconventional solutions,” driven by leaders capable of inspiring both confidence and operational excellence.
Reaffirming the Army’s constitutional mandate, General Shaibu reminded the officers that their oath of allegiance to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria must remain “absolute, unwavering and beyond reproach.”
The promotions, announced through Army Public Relations by Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, take effect immediately and are expected to inject fresh momentum into ongoing military operations across the country.
