Mass retirement reportedly hits Nigerian Army, over 200 senior officers affected

Mass retirement reportedly hits Nigerian Army, over
200 senior officers affected

Nigerian army allegedly retires over
200 senior officers

Over 200 senior military officers who attended
the Nigerian Military School (NMS) Zaria have
been ordered to proceed on sudden retirement

• The directive is sequel to an order from Lt
  General Tukur Buratai that the five years the
  affected officers spent as secondary school
  students in the military school be added to
  their years of military service
• A source says that the directive which affected
  the officers is as a result of a new policy of the
  federal government
  There is a reported unease in the Nigerian
  Army after over 200 senior officers from
  the rank of lieutenant colonels to major
  generals were said to have been ordered to
  proceed on compulsory retirement.
  The Tribune, citing military sources
  reported that 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.
  The 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.
  Galantmedia.com.ng learned that the army spokesman,
  Brigadier General Sani Usman, was also
  affected the directive along with over 200
  officers.
  A source told the Tribune on Saturday,
  February 9, that the decision which
  affected officers that was as a result of a
  new policy of the federal government.
  The source dismissed suggestions that
  policy was targeted at army officers, noting
  that other services are expected to comply
  with the policy, but were yet to do so.
  The affected officers were said to have
  received their disengagement letters
  effective from February 8, 2019, while their
  terminal leave was supposed to be from
  that day, but some of them were given
  March 8, 2019, to sort things out and then
  leave the service.
  Inside sources said the government policy
  was based on the argument that while the
  officers were in the Nigeria Military School
  (NMS), they were being paid salary and
  that therefore their years of service had
  started counting by then.
  However, the policy was said to have
  caused controversy as there were reports
  that most of the affected soldiers did not go
  to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)
  directly from the school as some of them
  opted to go to the university to obtain
  degrees before joining the army
  
  The decision was also faulted by some of
  the ex-boys from NMS, who were later
  commissioned as officers on the ground
  that that they were given only three to four
  days notice before been asked to proceed
  on compulsory retirement.
  Another source complained that the
  affected officers have been asked to go on
  mass retirement without completing their
  mandatory 35 years or attaining the 60
  years age ceiling.
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  Some of the affected officers were reported
  to have taken their case to the National
  Assembly, which summoned the Military
  Secretary (Army) F. Yahaya.
  Yahaya was said to have told the National
  Assembly that there was nothing he could
  do about the policy as it was a directive
  from the military authorities.
  In another news report, the defence
  headquarters of the Nigerian Army has
  released guidelines for its staff during the
  coming general elections.
  The military said that it will carry out its
  duties during the elections with neutrality
  and impartiality throughout the coming
  general polls and zero tolerance for
  unprofessional conducts from any soldier.
  The Nigeria Army said that it will not
  tolerate any unprofessional conduct from
  soldiers during and after the polls (Photo
  credit: Nigerian Army).