Nigeria’s president has approved the country’s largest military expansion in recent times – an attempt to address the series of security challenges plaguing the nation.

Bola Tinubu has given the green light to the recruitment of an additional 28,000 soldiers and the creation of four new army divisions, which will bring the total number to 12.

Nigeria’s government is under intense pressure to curb violence carried out by a variety of armed groups, including Islamist militants, separatists and gangs that kidnap civilians for ransom.

Over the past week, an armed gang killed at least 20 villagers in the northwestern state of Zamfara and 46 students were kidnapped from a school in the northeastern state of Borno.

The students were rescued by the army hours after their capture and, overall, authorities appear to have made recent progress in their fight against armed gangs.

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

Announcing the military expansion, the government said the new army divisions would ensure better coordination, intelligence sharing and faster response times.

Under the current structure of the army, multiple divisions have had to cover extensive areas stretching from state to state. Therefore, its resources have been limited in the face of persistent attacks.