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President Tinubu Approves Historic Military Training Depot in South-East After 102 Years, Army Targets Recruitment of 28,000 More Troops
President Tinubu Approves Historic Military Training Depot in South-East After 102 Years, Army Targets Recruitment of 28,000 More Troops
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army Military Training Depot in Amasiri Edda, marking a historic milestone for the South-East region after more than a century without a military recruit training institution.
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The approval ends a 102-year era during which Nigeria operated only one military recruit training depot, established in Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1924. For decades, aspiring military recruits from every part of the country, including the South-East, were required to travel to Zaria for basic military training.
The new training depot is expected to significantly improve access to military recruitment for millions of young people across the South-East and neighbouring South-South region, while also addressing long-standing concerns over the geographical distribution of key military institutions in Nigeria.
Sources disclosed that Kaduna State currently hosts about 14 major military institutions, while the entire South-East has had none until the approval of the Amasiri Edda training depot.
Among the military establishments located in Kaduna are the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Afaka, the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji, the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, the Nigerian Military School, the Nigerian Army School of Artillery in Kachia, the Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology, the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Nigerian Army School of Military Police, the Nigerian Army School of Legal Services, the 1 Division Nigerian Army Headquarters, the Ground Training Command of the Nigerian Air Force, and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), among other strategic military formations.
The newly approved depot is expected to serve a population of more than 40 million people across the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
Military authorities have repeatedly expressed concern over the declining number of applicants from the South-East seeking enlistment into the Nigerian Army. Observers have linked the trend partly to the challenges and security risks associated with travelling long distances to northern Nigeria for recruitment and training, particularly amid rising incidents of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
The establishment of the new depot also forms part of the Nigerian Army’s broader strategy to strengthen its operational capabilities through increased manpower.
The Army has concluded plans to recruit and train an additional 28,000 personnel as part of efforts to reinforce its capacity to combat insecurity and respond more effectively to emerging security threats across the country.
Speaking during a press conference to herald the 163rd Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL 2026), the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity while upholding professionalism and respect for human rights.
Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Bamidele Alabi, the Army Chief stated that the Service would continue to conduct all military operations in strict compliance with the rules of engagement, international humanitarian law, and both domestic and international legal frameworks governing the protection of human rights.
He further explained that the Army’s “Soldier-First” initiative remains central to its operational philosophy by prioritising the welfare of officers, soldiers and their families.
According to him, the Army is also enhancing its deployment strategies and leveraging modern technology to improve operational efficiency against criminal and subversive elements across the country.
He announced that the establishment of the Amasiri Edda training depot expands the Army’s recruitment infrastructure, making it the third institution dedicated to training civilian recruits for enlistment into the Nigerian Army.
The expansion, he said, will enable the Army to recruit and train an additional 28,000 troops while supporting the establishment of new brigades and operational units to bridge identified deployment gaps and strengthen national security.
The approval of the South-East military training depot is widely regarded as a landmark development that could reshape military recruitment in the region, improve accessibility for prospective recruits, and contribute to the Nigerian Army’s ongoing efforts to enhance national security through increased manpower and strategic expansion.
