The Federal Government has approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army depot in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, in a move aimed at strengthening the nation’s security architecture and boosting military capacity across the country.
The approval brings the total number of Nigerian Army depots to three, expanding beyond the long-standing facilities in Kaduna and Osogbo, which have served as the backbone of army training and logistics for decades. The new depot is expected to play a critical role in addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The announcement was made public on Saturday by the Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, via a post on X (formerly Twitter). Olusegun confirmed that President Tinubu personally approved the establishment of the facility as part of broader efforts to reinforce national security.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new depot for the Nigerian Army in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. This development takes the number of depots in Nigeria to three up from one that has existed for decades – Kaduna, Osogbo and now Abakaliki,” Olusegun stated.
Further details emerged in a video shared by Olusegun, featuring remarks by the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu. According to Shaibu, the decision to establish the Abakaliki depot is a strategic response to the persistent and diverse security threats facing the country across all geopolitical zones.
“All these are geared towards increasing the strength of the Nigerian Army, and the reasons are not far-fetched. There are security challenges across the length and breadth of the country in each geopolitical zone,” Shaibu said.
He disclosed that an initial batch of 3,500 additional troops will be trained at the new depot, with another 3,500 personnel expected to arrive from the Osogbo depot next week. These soldiers will undergo advanced infantry training before being deployed to various operational theatres nationwide.
“So now with this additional 3,500 troops coming on board, as well as next week we have another 3,500 troops coming on board from Osogbo, all these troops will now be given further training, advanced infantry training, before their deployment in various areas of operation,” the army chief explained.
Shaibu emphasised that modern technology will play a key role in the training process at the Abakaliki depot. He noted that facilities such as indoor shooting ranges would be used to improve soldiers’ marksmanship and overall combat readiness.
“Even in training here, we are leveraging technology. We have the indoor shooting range, which is one of the ways we look to improve their marksmanship principles. When they go to the field, they will have more advanced specialist training as well,” he added.
The establishment of the Abakaliki depot is expected to significantly enhance the Nigerian Army’s operational effectiveness, increase troop strength on the ground and improve its capacity to respond swiftly and decisively to security threats across the country.
