The Army Council has approved the promotion of 105 senior officers of the Nigerian Army to the ranks of Major General and Brigadier General, following a meeting held on Thursday, 27 November 2025.
A total of 28 Brigadier Generals were elevated to the rank of Major General, while 77 Colonels were promoted to Brigadier General.
Those promoted to Major General include Brigadier General O. Adegbe of the Defence Intelligence Agency; Brigadier General S.M. Uba, Director of Defence Information; Brigadier General R.E. Hedima, Acting Chief of Military Intelligence (Army); and Brigadier General R.T. Utsaha, Deputy Director of Defence Operations. Others promoted are Brigadier General A.M. Umar, Commandant of the Warrant Officer Academy; Brigadier General S. Sulaiman, Deputy Military Secretary (Army); Brigadier General I.O. Bassey, Director of the Nigerian Army Operations Centre; and Brigadier General C.A. Ekeator of the Nigerian Army School of Electric al and Mechanical Engineering.
Also elevated were Brigadier General S.Y. Yakasai, Acting Director of Procurement in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff; Brigadier General W.L. Nzidee of the Army Headquarters Department of Army Logistics; Brigadier General S.A. Emmanuel of the Nigerian Army Signals; Brigadier General S.S. Tilawan, Acting Commander, Sector 3 Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI; Brigadier General M.O. Agi, Desk Officer for the Tertiary Education Trust Fund at the Nigerian Defence Academy; and Brigadier General I.M. Abbas, Commander of 34 Brigade. Brigadier General Z.A. Saidu was promoted posthumously.
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Officers promoted to Brigadier General include Colonels Y. Ibrahim of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja; N.N. Gambo of the Army Headquarters Department of Civil-Military Affairs; and A. Saidu of the Nigerian Army Finance Corps. Others promoted are Colonels A. Ali of Army Headquarters Garrison; I. Waziri from the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff; M.M. Sani of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji; A.A. Alkali of the Nigerian Army Dog Centre; A.O. Ndah of the Army Headquarters Department of Army Training; and I.B. Sheriff of Headquarters 9 Brigade.
Additional officers elevated include Colonels K.R. Apata of the Army Headquarters Provost Group; M.K. Akpuogwu of Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke; P.U. Nnaji of the Nigerian Army Operations Monitoring Support Team; M.T. Nagudu of the Nigerian Army Armour School; K.O. Bukoye, Commander of the 401 Special Forces Brigade; and O. Adole of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps. Others are Colonels J.A. Ikagba of the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; D.C. Ibeh of the 8 Division Medical Services and Hospital; G.S. Chohwore of the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; O.G. Okoye of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital; and Y.K. Audu of the Headquarters Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, among others.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, congratulated the newly promoted officers and their families. He urged them to intensify their professional commitment and demonstrate that their elevation was earned through merit. He called on them to show exemplary leadership, inspire subordinates through personal conduct, and “cultivate bold, innovative and unconventional solutions” needed to respond decisively to Nigeria’s evolving security threats.
The COAS restated that the officers must uphold their oath of allegiance and defend the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He emphasised that their loyalty to the Constitution must remain “absolute, unwavering and beyond reproach.”
