Military retirees stormed the Ministry of Defence in Abuja yesterday, demanding payment of their over 12 months’ salary arrears and asking to be included in President Bola Tinubu’s recent salary raise.

The protesters blocked vehicular traffic on all roads leading to the ministry and to the United States Embassy opposite it.

As early as 6.00 a.m., armed troops and light Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicles were deployed in and around the ministry, complemented by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and other paramilitary personnel.

Meanwhile, armed soldiers led by a Major stopped the placard-carrying retirees as they marched towards the front of the building, appealing to them not to come close to the ministry’s gate and assuring them that officials would come to address them.

Speaking on behalf of the retirees, Lt.-Col. Innocent Azubike (rtd) demanded payment of salary increase arrears approved for the military since November 2025.

According to him, “it’s been in the news all over. The military high command at every given location keeps thanking the president for the salary increase. This is August 2026; they have not implemented (arrears for pensioners), as if it’s a scam,” he said.

Lamenting that a sergeant who retired recently could be receiving a higher pension than that of a captain who retired 10 years ago, the protesters alleged that, though the consequential adjustment in pensions is in the Armed Forces Act, they were still being denied their due.

Azubike accused the Ministry of Defence of failure to accommodate military retirees in the new salary raise for the Armed Forces, which is due to commence from September 1, stating that the ministry merely “computed the fund requirement to implement the recently announced one, and excluded pensioners.

“If you compute the fund requirement for implementing the most recent increase, and you exclude pensioners, you are depriving them of their constitutional and legal rights as enshrined in the Constitution and the Armed Forces Act.”

According to him, the implication is that the pensions of those who retired earlier will be very tiny compared with those of more recent retirees, whereas “the constitution provides that whenever there is a salary increase, it carries consequential adjustment for the retirees.”