Is Nigeria Army Recruiting 28,000 More Troops in 2026?

Is Nigeria Army recruitment 28,000 more troops in 2026? Yes, Lt. Gen. Shaibu through Major General Bamidele Alabi, Chief of Policy and Plans announced on Friday, 26 June 2026 during a press briefing in Abuja that the Nigerian army will recruit an extra 18,000 soldiers in addition to the just concluded recruitment exercise.

So, if you’ve seen the message on WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages or mainstream media like TVC, Channels and Arise News TV, yes, it is real.

This article explains what the Chief of Army Staff said in details, what it means for interested applicants and the step-by-step process to submit an application.

Overview of the Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army (NA) is the larges of the three (3) major forces in the country. It is a land based defence that counters insurgency, strengthen internal security and generally upholds the country’s sovereignty.

 As an institution, the Nigeria Army could be tracked back to 1863 and has since evolved. Currently, it is headed by the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu. The three (3) major categories of the army recruitment are Regular Recruits Intake (RRI) for non-officers, Short Service Combatant (SSC) and Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC) etc. This covers for both commission officers, specialist tradesmen/women and other technical roles.

Is Nigeria Army Recruiting 28,000 More Troops in 2026?

Yes, the Nigerian Army is set to recruit 28,000 more troops in 2026 in addition to the just concluded recruitment exercise but as of 27th June 2026 the application portal is not yet live.

On Friday, June 26, 2026 Lt. Gen. Shaibu who was represented by Major General Bamidele Alabi, Chief of Policy and Plans made the announcement on air saying;

“Manpower is as important as the equipment required to fight insecurity. To this end, we have expanded our recruitment scope by establishing another training depot at Amasiri Edda, making it the third institution to train able-bodied civilians for the Nigerian Army… With this action, the Nigerian Army is expected to recruit and train an additional 28,000 troops to help stem the tide of insecurity across the country.”

Here are a few things worth noting:

• This announcement focuses on expanding capacity which is directly tied to the new training depot at Amasiri-Edda in Ebonyi State. The ground breaking was in January 2026, increasing the Army’s total training depots to three i.e. Zaria, Osogbo, and now Amasiri-Edda.
• The “28,000 Recruitment Intake” portal is not yet active neither has the specific date of commencement been announced yet.
• This announcement is separate from the just concluded 91st Regular Recruits Intake (91RRI), that started from March 30 to May 17, 2026 and screening for shortlisted candidates were conducted from 9th – 13th June, 2026.
• If you applied for the 91RR intake but didn’t make it through, you can apply for the 28,000 recruitment intake.

Related News:

• When is the Nigerian Army Recruitment Starting 2026/2027?
• Nigerian Army Recruitment 2026/2027 Portal, Opening & Closing Date
• Nigerian Army Shortlisted Candidates 91RRI 2026 PDF Download

Why is Nigeria Army Recruiting 28,000 More Soldiers

The core reasons for this expansion in the Nigerian army are as follow:

• Manpower to match current insecurity threat: Due to divers active treats across the country e.g. Boko Haram/ISWAP in the North-East, bandits and kidnappers in the North-West, and separatist elements in the South-East. Shaibu said that continuous operations have degraded these groups, but sustaining the win requires more boots on ground in addition to better equipment.
• A New Training Depot: Until 2025, the Nigerian Army still trained recruits only at Zaria. Osogbo followed the same year, Ebonyi and in December President Tinubu approved the third which birth the need for this expansion.
• Regional balance: There seems to be an in-balance and some States like Ebonyi’s governor, Francis Nwifuru, specifically noted that the depot’s groundbreaking in the South-East has been historically underrepresented in military enlistment.

Eligibility Requirements

To deem fit for the 28,000 trop recruitment, you must meet the criteria below.

• Interest person must be a Nigerian citizen who possess a valid National Identification Number.
• Applicant must be within 18 – 22 years and currently possess a valid birth certificate issued by National Population Commission of age declaration from a court of competent jurisdiction.
• Male applicant must be 1.68 metres tall and female at least 1.65 metres.
• Persons applying must be medically, physically, and psychologically sound.
• Candidate must possess a valid certificate of origin.
• Applicant must possess at least five (5) credits in O’level including English and Mathematics.

Also, candidates from the states below can apply:

Abia State	Cross River State
Adamawa State	Delta State
Akwa Ibom State	Ebonyi State
Anambra State	Edo State
Bauchi State	Ekiti State
Bayelsa State	Enugu State
Benue State	Gombe State
Borno State	Imo State
Jigawa State	Nasarawa State
Kaduna State	Niger State
Kano State	Ogun State
Katsina State	Ondo State
Kebbi State	Osun State
Kogi State	Oyo State
Kwara State	Plateau State
Lagos State	Rivers State
Sokoto State	Yobe State
Taraba State	Zamfara State

Nigeria Army Recruitment Portal 2026

The application portal for the 28,000 army recruitment is recruitment.army.mil.ng. It is not a separate portal and the process is completely free of charge. Candidates are warned against imitating websites, individuals or groups that may attempt to extort money.

How to Apply

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to submit application for the Nigeria Army 28,000 recruitment:

1. Begin by opening the application portal at recruitment.army.mil.ng
2. Select the position or category you wish to apply.
3. Click register to create an account, check your email for validation link.
4. Login with your email address and password, fill out the application form.
5. Proceed to clearly scan and upload required documents.
6. Review your application carefully, submit and print out the acknowledgement slip.

In conclusion, the Nigerian Army will soon commence recruitment for 28,000 new troops but currently the starting date have not been officially disclosed.