In a move aimed at bolstering leadership within the nation’s defense apparatus, the Nigerian Army has promoted a total of 105 senior officers to higher ranks. The promotions, approved by the Army Council on Thursday, November 27, 2025, include 28 Brigadier Generals elevated to Major General and 77 Colonels advanced to Brigadier General.
According to the official press release, the elevations are part of a strategic effort to enhance national defense capabilities. “The Army Council has on Thursday, 27 November 2025 approved the promotion of senior officers of the Nigerian Army to the next ranks of Major General and Brigadier General,” the statement reads.
“A total of 28 Brigadier Generals have been elevated to the rank of Major General, while 77 Colonels have also been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.”
Among those promoted to Major General are key figures such as Brig Gen O Adegbe of the Defence Intelligence Agency, Brig Gen SM Uba, the Director, Defence Information, Brig Gen RE Hedima, the Acting Chief of Military Intelligence Army, and Brig Gen RT Utsaha, the Deputy Director, Defence Operations. The list also includes Brig Gen AM Umar, Commandant, Warrant Officer Academy; Brig Gen S Sulaiman, the Deputy Military Secretary (Army); Brig Gen IO Bassey, Director, Nigerian Army Operations Centre; and Brig Gen CA Ekeator of Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
Further promotions to Major General encompass the Acting Director Procurement in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, Brig Gen SY Yakasai; Brig Gen WL Nzidee of Army Headquarters Department of Army Logistics; Brig Gen SA Emmanuel of the Nigerian Army Signals; Brig Gen SS Tilawan, the Acting Commander Sector 3 Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI; Brig Gen MO Agi, the Desk Officer Tertiary Education Trust Fund at the Nigerian Defence Academy; and Brig Gen IM Abbas, the Commander 34 Brigade.
Notably, Brig Gen ZA Saidu was promoted posthumously.
On the Colonel to Brigadier General front, the release highlights officers such as Colonels Y Ibrahim of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre Abuja, NN Gambo serving at the Army Headquarters Department of Civil Military Affairs, and A Saidu of Headquarters Nigerian Army Finance Corps. Others include Colonels A Ali of Army Headquarters Garrison, I Waziri, Office of the Chief of Defence Staff; MM Sani of Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji; AA Alkali of the Nigerian Army Dog Centre; AO Ndah of Army Headquarters Department of Army Training; IB Sheriff of Headquarters 9 Brigade; KR Apata of Army Headquarters Provost Group; MK Akpuogwu of Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke; PU Nnaji of the Nigerian Army Operations Monitoring Support Team; MT Nagudu of Nigerian Army Armour School; KO Bukoye, the Commander 401 Special Forces Brigade; O Adole of Headquarters Nigerian Army Medical Corps; JA Ikagba of 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; DC Ibeh of the 8 Division Medical Services and Hospital; GS Chohwore of 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; OG Okoye also of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; and YK Audu serving at the Headquarters Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, among others.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, extended congratulations to the promoted officers and their families. “The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu Nigerian Army Medal, while felicitating with the newly promoted senior officers and their families, charged all to intensify their professional drive and prove beyond doubt that their elevation is well-deserved,” the statement notes. “He directed the officers to demonstrate exemplary leadership, inspire their subordinates through personal conduct while cultivating bold, innovative and unconventional solutions capable of delivering swift and decisive responses to the nation’s evolving security threats.”
Lieutenant General Shaibu further stressed the importance of unwavering loyalty: “The COAS further emphasized that the officers must uphold, without compromise, their sacred oath of allegiance to defend the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He reiterated that their loyalty to the Constitution must remain absolute, unwavering and beyond reproach.”
The announcement was signed by APPOLONIA ANELE, Lieutenant Colonel, Acting Director, Army Public Relations, on November 28, 2025.
