Ex-generals, others cry out, petition Reps over compulsory retirement
- No fewer than 26 senior military officers have written petition to the speaker of the House of Representatives over compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army
- The officers are seeking the intervention of the House to set aside their retirment
- The officers say they still have between two and seven years to serve in the army
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has been petitioned by no fewer than 26 senior military officers over compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army.
The officers, which include a former major general and 10 retired brigadier generals, are seeking the intervention of the House to set aside their retirement, Vanguard reports.
Legit.ng gathers that the officers said as regular combatant officers, they cannot be retired from the army based on Rule 020810 (I) which the military secretary relied on to sack them from service.
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The petitioners include Maj. Gen. O. Ugo (Imo State); Brigadier Generals J. Chima (Imo), J. Ebong (Akwa Ibom), P. Aro (Ondo); M. Odediran (Osun); A. Busari (Oyo); E. Albara (Niger); J. Audu (Kogi); O. Falade (Osun) and G. Shipi (Plateau) and others.
They insisted that they still have between two and seven years to serve in the army and sought the intervention of the House to set aside their retirement.
The officers said they were retired despite the fact that they had not clocked 35 years in service or attained 60 years as stated in the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers (2017) revised.
The petition by their lawyer, Johnson Oyewole, read: “We further state that our clients have converted and lost two years and six months of service to properly align them with the officers holding Regular Combatant Commission.
“According to HTACOS, from the date of their conversion, they ceased to have Short Service Combatant Commission type of commission. This was the purpose of conversion and losing two years, six months seniority.
“A cursory look at the list (of retired officers) revealed that 17 of them are from the Southern part of the country while the rest are from the North. Our clients were not investigated for any infraction, indicted by a Court Martial or convicted by a disciplinary panel for any criminal breaches.”
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that there was unease in the Nigerian Army after over 200 senior officers from the rank of lieutenant colonel to major general were said to have been ordered to proceed on compulsory retirement.
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According to report, the order followed a directive from the chief of army staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai, to the military secretary of the army to serve notice of retirement to officers who went through the Nigerian Military School (NMS), Zaria (a secondary school) where they spent five years.
Sources said the army chief directed that the five years the affected officers spent as secondary school students in the military school be added to their years of military service.
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Source: Legit.ng
