Nigeria has unveiled its biggest military expansion in recent years after President Bola Tinubu approved the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers and the creation of four new army divisions, in a major push to strengthen the country's fight against growing insecurity.
The expansion will raise the number of army divisions from eight to 12 as the government seeks to improve operations against militant Islamists, separatist groups and criminal gangs responsible for kidnappings and deadly attacks across different parts of the country.
The announcement comes as the government faces mounting pressure to restore security following continued attacks by armed groups. In the past week alone, at least 20 villagers were killed by an armed gang in Zamfara State in north-western Nigeria, while 46 students were abducted from a school in Borno State in the north-east.
The students were rescued by the army just hours after they were kidnapped, highlighting recent gains made by security forces against criminal gangs. However, despite these successes, armed groups have continued to improve their tactics and violence remains a major challenge across the country.
The government said the four new army divisions are expected to improve co-ordination, strengthen intelligence sharing and allow security forces to respond more quickly to attacks.
Under the current military structure, several divisions are responsible for covering vast areas stretching across multiple states, leaving security personnel overstretched as they respond to repeated attacks.
Alongside the new divisions, the government will also establish three new army headquarters in north-eastern and central Nigeria, regions that continue to face threats from Islamist militants, armed bandits and clashes between farmers and herders.
The security crisis has also spread beyond northern Nigeria. In May, 44 pupils and teachers were abducted during coordinated attacks on schools in Oyo State in the country's south-west.
Although the government plans to recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers, security experts told the BBC that attracting young Nigerians into the military could prove difficult following the deaths of many soldiers in recent months.
Before approving the military expansion, President Tinubu warned armed groups to "surrender or face the full force" of the state.
Speaking last month, the president also announced the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and set aside a record 5.41tn naira (Sh4bn; £3bn) for defence and security in the annual budget.
Nigeria has also stepped up military co-operation with the United States. In December, US and Nigerian forces launched a joint operation targeting jihadist fighters from the Lakurawa group in north-western Nigeria, carrying out strikes on Christmas Day.
The operation also led to the killing of senior Islamic State leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki during a months-long campaign centred largely around the Lake Chad Basin in north-eastern Nigeria.
Analysts say Islamic State has shifted much of its activity to sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, with about 90 per cent of its attacks now taking place in the region. Its Nigeria-based affiliate remains the group's most active branch.
Despite the joint operation ending earlier this month, Islamist militant groups continue to carry out attacks, underlining the security challenges the government is seeking to address through the planned military expansion.