Nigeria's president approves largest military expansion in recent times

The new army divisions will lead to better co-ordination and faster response times, the government says

Nigeria's president has approved the country's largest military expansion in recent times - an attempt to tackle the slew of security challenges plaguing the nation.

Bola Tinubu has greenlit the recruitment of 28,000 extra soldiers and the creation of four new army divisions, which will take the total number up to 12.

Nigeria's government is under intense pressure to curb the violence perpetrated by a variety of armed groups, including militant Islamists, separatists and gangs who kidnap civilians for ransom.

Over the past week, an armed gang killed at least 20 villagers in the north-western state of Zamfara and 46 students were abducted from a school in Borno state in the country's north-east.

The students were rescued by the army hours after they were taken and generally, the authorities appear to have made recent inroads in their fight against armed gangs.

Despite this, the criminal groups have become more sophisticated and violence remains a defining aspect of life in Nigeria.

In announcing the military expansion, the government said new army divisions would ensure better co-ordination, intelligence sharing and faster response times.

Under the army's current structure, multiple divisions have had to cover extensive areas that stretch from one state to another - with their resources stretched in the face of persistent attacks.

The kidnap gangs, jihadists and separatists wreaking havoc in Nigeria

In addition to the new division, three new army headquarters will be set up in north-east and central Nigeria - areas plagued by Islamist militants, banditry and clashes between farmers and herders.

Recently, the violence has spread into parts of southern Nigeria too. In May, 44 pupils and teachers were abducted during co-ordinated attacks on schools in the south-western state of Oyo.

Although the government plans to recruit tens of thousands of soldiers, security experts told the BBC that convincing young Nigerians to join the army, in the face of the number of soldiers killed in recent months, might be a major challenge.

Ahead of approving the changes to the military, President Tinubu ordered armed groups to "surrender or face the full force" of the state.

In his speech, given last month, he also announced more than 50,000 new police officers and allocated record 5.41tn naira ($4bn; £3bn) to defence and security in the yearly budget.

In December, US and Nigerian forces launched a joint operation to tackle jihadists, which involved strikes ag