Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved an expansion of the army to 12 divisions from eight and the recruitment of 28 000 additional personnel, the presidency said on Friday, as the government seeks to bolster its response to persistent security threats.

Tinubu approved four new army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said.

The government also approved an increase in investment in equipment, operational readiness and troop welfare to modernise the armed forces.

The expanded 12-division structure will retain headquarters in eight cities, with the new formations covering parts of central, northeastern and southern Nigeria.

The expansion will be implemented in two phases, with the 5th, 9th and 10th divisions operational by September and the 83rd Division in Benin City by December.

Nigeria is grappling with a 17-year-old Islamist insurgency in the northeast, banditry and kidnappings in the northwest, communal violence in the central region and separatist agitation in the southeast.