Armed police officers and soldiers on Wednesday prevented retired military personnel from converging in front of the Ministry of Defence in Abuja to protest the non-implementation of consequential adjustments to their pensions.
The ex-servicemen had attempted to assemble at the ministry as part of a planned demonstration over their demand for pension adjustments arising from salary increases approved for serving military personnel. However, additional security operatives were deployed to stop the protesters from gathering at the designated location.
The development followed an earlier confrontation between serving soldiers and the retired military personnel after security operatives moved to prevent them from staging the protest at the ministry’s premises.
A heavy security presence was later maintained around the Ministry of Defence, effectively blocking the retirees from converging in front of the facility as planned.
The retired personnel are demanding the implementation of consequential pension adjustments linked to the salary increases approved for serving members of the Armed Forces, insisting that the relevant adjustments should also be reflected in their pensions.
