8 Division Garrison wins 2026 Nigerian Army inter-brigade corporals competition
The 8 Division Garrison has emerged overall winner of the 2026 Nigerian Army Inter-Brigade Corporals and Below Competition, which concluded on Thursday. The 1st Brigade came second, while the 58
The 8 Division Garrison has emerged overall winner of the 2026 Nigerian Army Inter-Brigade Corporals and Below Competition, which concluded on Thursday.
The 1st Brigade came second, while the 58 Signal Brigade finished third, completing a closely contested podium finish.
The five-day event, held at the Obstacle Ground in Sokoto, is a major fixture in the Army’s annual training calendar. It serves as a platform to assess the readiness of junior soldiers—widely regarded as the backbone of frontline operations—while also benchmarking unit-level preparedness across formations.
Corporals and other junior ranks drawn from participating brigades were subjected to rigorous drills designed to test stamina, skill, and teamwork.
The competition featured weapon handling, obstacle crossing, map reading, endurance marches, and tactical field exercises structured to replicate real battlefield conditions.
Addressing troops at the closing ceremony, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division and Commander Sector 2 Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General Bemgba Koughna, commended the professionalism, resilience, and commitment demonstrated throughout the exercise.
He said the performance of all participating formations reflected the Army’s ongoing efforts to develop a force capable of responding effectively to Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
“This remarkable event is the product of hard work, discipline, and resourcefulness,” he said. “We have witnessed passion, resilience, skill, and professionalism, all of which reflect the combat readiness of our troops.”
He noted that the competition went beyond the pursuit of trophies, describing it as a critical platform for enhancing operational capability and assessing the extent to which units have internalised current training doctrines.
Koughna urged participants to take lessons from the exercise back to their respective formations and intensify preparation for future operations.
He further stressed that the security situation in the North-West demands continuous improvement in operational discipline, adding that sustained training and capacity development remain essential to counter banditry, insurgency, and other emerging threats.
The GOC also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Shaibu Waidi, for his support, noting that it was instrumental to the successful conduct of the competition.
He praised the organising committee, particularly the 8 Division Garrison, for effective coordination and logistics that ensured the smooth running of the multi-day exercise.
The event climaxed with the presentation of awards and souvenirs to outstanding teams, alongside recognition for invited dignitaries, senior officers, and partner agencies. It also featured the formal declaration of the competition’s closure and a safe return message to all participants as they proceeded back to their respective formations.
For the 8 Division Garrison, the victory further consolidates its standing within the Division. For the Nigerian Army, the competition reaffirmed its role as a practical platform for sharpening combat readiness at the junior cadre level.
