How plot to overthrow Tinubu drove decision to expand Nigerian Army by four divisions – Sources

President Bola Tinubu’s decision to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions — adding 28,000 personnel — was significantly influenced by intelligence assessments conducted after the failed September 2025 coup plot, senior military sources have revealed.

As reported by Saturday PUNCH, military officers speaking anonymously said security planners concluded that preventing future unconstitutional power seizures required strengthening operational capabilities across the entire security architecture.

“From the government’s perspective, the safest option is to ensure that any future attempt becomes practically impossible to organise,” one Air Force officer said.

Sources also disclosed that internal assessments showing limited public willingness to openly resist an unconstitutional government change reinforced the urgency of preventive military reforms. Officers noted that advances in surveillance technology and intelligence gathering had already made successful coup attempts considerably more difficult.