Heavy security as military retirees protest pension adjustment

Abuja witnessed heavy security deployment on Wednesday as military retirees prepared to protest the non-implementation of consequential pension adjustments. Police, army, immigration, and VIO personnel, along with armed soldiers, patrolled the area around the Ministry of Defence. Two armored personnel carriers and over 15 vehicles from various security forces were stationed at the protest site. However, the protest had not yet begun at the time of reporting.

Military retirees, led by Col. Innocent Azubike (retd.), are demanding the constitutional pension rights they claim were promised following a salary increase for serving military personnel in November 2025. Azubike stated that the pension increase should have been implemented after the President's approval, but it has not materialized. He alleged that the authorities changed their stories once the implementation deadline passed.

The retirees are also protesting the exclusion of pensioners from the consequential adjustment of the latest salary increase announced for military personnel in August 2026. While funds have been computed for the implementation of this increase, pensioners will not benefit from the corresponding adjustment. Azubike argued that this exclusion could create disparities between newly retired and earlier retired personnel, with the latter receiving lower pensions despite having the same rank and years of service.