SCORES of security personnel drawn from the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIO, and other security agencies have taken over the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in Abuja following a protest by retired military personnel.
News Point Nigeria reports that the heavy security deployment was aimed at preventing a possible breakdown of law and order as the retired military officers, under the umbrella of the Military Veterans Association of Nigeria, staged a protest over the non-implementation of consequential adjustments to their pensions.
The protesting retired military officers, led by retired Colonel Azubuike Nas, are demanding the implementation of pension adjustments following the recent increase in the salaries of serving military personnel approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
President Tinubu had recently approved a new salary scale for serving military officers in a move aimed at bolstering their performance across the various theatres of operations in the country.
The retired military personnel, however, argued that they should not have been excluded from the consequential adjustments arising from the salary increment, insisting that they had served the country diligently for 35 years or more.
The veterans are therefore protesting what they described as the non-implementation of the necessary adjustments to their pensions, following the upward review of the salaries of serving military personnel.
Meanwhile, armed soldiers have also been deployed to guard the Defence Headquarters, with security personnel stationed on major roads leading to the area.
The massive deployment around both the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Headquarters has heightened security within the Abuja city centre.
The development has also resulted in traffic gridlock around the area, as motorists and commuters struggle with the disruption caused by the security presence and the ongoing protest.
The situation remains under close security watch as the retired military officers continue to press their demand for the implementation of the consequential pension adjustments.
