Nigerian Army Elevates 28 Brigadier Generals, 77 Colonels in Major Leadership Reshuffle

The Nigerian Army has announced a major reshuffle of its senior leadership, promoting 28 Brigadier Generals to Major General and 77 Colonels to Brigadier General. The announcement was made on Friday by Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, via the Nigerian Army’s X account.

Key officers elevated to Major General include Brig Gen O Adegbe of the Defence Intelligence Agency, Brig Gen SM Uba, Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen RE Hedima, Acting Chief of Military Intelligence Army, and Brig Gen RT Utsaha, Deputy Director of Defence Operations. Other notable promotions include Brig Gen AM Umar, Commandant of the Warrant Officer Academy, Brig Gen S Sulaiman, Deputy Military Secretary (Army), Brig Gen IO Bassey, Director of Nigerian Army Operations Centre, and Brig Gen CA Ekeator of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Brig Gen ZA Saidu was promoted posthumously in recognition of his service.

Officers promoted from Colonel to Brigadier General serve across key units and institutions, including the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, Special Forces Brigades, Army Headquarters departments, and several military hospitals.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, congratulated the officers and their families, urging them to demonstrate exemplary leadership, inspire their subordinates, and adopt innovative approaches to address evolving security challenges. He emphasized their duty to uphold the oath of allegiance, remain loyal to the Constitution, and strengthen the army’s capacity to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

The promotions are seen as a strategic move to reinforce operational efficiency and bolster the military’s readiness in responding to national security threats.