•Armed security personnel
Scores of security personnel drawn from the Nigerian military, Nigerian police, Nigeria Immigration Service and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and others are currently on alert at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, Abuja.
The heavy deployment, it was learnt, was done ahead of the planned massive protest by the retired military officers over the non-implementation of consequential adjustments to their pensions, reports Daily Trust.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu recently approved new salary scale for serving military officers with a view to bolstering their performance across all the theatres of operations in the country.
The increment, which the retired military officers said it shouldn’t have left them out having served the country diligently for 35 years or more, cut across all the ranks in the military.
When our correspondent visited the Ministry of Defence Headquarters this morning, no fewer than three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) belonging to the military were counted.
Our correspondent also counted more than 18 vehicles belonging to the police, Army, Immigration, VIO, NSCDC, FRSC and other security agencies, which were stationed at both ends of the roads and other strategic locations around the protest ground.
Armed soldiers were seen moving around the venue as security operatives took strategic positions along roads leading to the ministry – the development that has already caused gridlock around the area.
Although the planned protest was yet to begin as of when filing this report at about 9:10am, the retired military officers insisted that the protest would go ahead as planned, saying “no going back”.
A retired Master Warrant Officer, who didn’t want his name in print, told our correspondent that the Minister was supposed to have met them in order to sort out the issue but the people around him prevented him from doing so.
“Gen. Christopher Musa is a kind man. He is always willing to see to the welfare of both the serving and retired personnel but those around him don’t want him to succeed.
“This protest would go as planned to draw the attention of the world that we also deserve to be treated with fairness, not with impunity. We also deserve what was given to the serving personnel,” he told our correspondent.
He maintained that the retirees are protesting the alleged failure of the authorities to implement consequential adjustments to their pensions following salary increases approved for serving military personnel.
One of the leaders of the retirees, Innocent Azubike, a retired Colonel, had said the protest was aimed at demanding what he described as the constitutional pension rights of military retirees.
Azubike said President Bola Tinubu approved a salary increase for military personnel in November 2025, which, according to him, should have resulted in a corresponding adjustment of pensions for retired personnel.
He, however, alleged that the adjustment had yet to be implemented despite repeated acknowledgements by military authorities of the president’s approval.
Azubike said, “We have a protest on Wednesday at the Ministry of Defence to demand our constitutional pension rights.
“In November last year, the president approved a new pay increase for the military, and it came with a consequential adjustment for retirees and pensioners.
“It was in the news throughout that November, and the high military authorities repeatedly thanked the President for the gesture.
“But suddenly, in July and August, it was not implemented and they started changing their stories, as if it should be forgotten.”
