Compulsory retirement : Ex-generals petition reps
By Steve Oko
Peeved by their compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army, 26 ex-Generals and other senior Army officers mostly from the Southern part of Nigeria have petitioned the House of Representatives for intervention in their ordeal.
The victims who were disengaged from the Army in January this year (2019) include a former Major-General , 10 retired Brigadier-Generals and other senior officers.
They petitioned the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, through their lawyer, Johnson Oyewole.
In their petition dated April 1, 2019 , the victims argued that as Regular Combatant Officers, they cannot be retired from the army based on Rule 020810 (I) which the Military Secretary relied on to sack them from service.
Checks by Wawa News Globals revealed that the affected officers include : Maj. Gen. O. Ugo (Imo State); Brigs. Gen. J. Chima (Imo), J. Ebong (Akwa Ibom), P. Aro (Ondo); M. Odediran (Osun); A. Busari (Oyo); E. Albara (Niger); J. Audu (Kogi); O. Falade (Osun) and G. Shipi (Plateau) and others.
According to the petition, the victims still have between two and seven years to serve in the army and sought the intervention of the House to set aside their retirement.
It said the affected officers had protested the development via a letter dated February 20, 2019 to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai, adding that this was followed up with a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, which were not responded to.
The former military officers explained that the Nigerian Army Council, NAC, under the Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (retd), the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, and the CAS conveyed an emergency meeting of the Council, where they directed the Military Secretary to retire them despite the fact that they had not clocked 35 years in service or attained 60 years as stated in the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers (2017) revised.
The petition read in part : “We further state that our clients have converted and lost two years and six months of service to properly align them with the officers holding Regular Combatant Commission.
“According to HTACOS, from the date of their conversion, they ceased to have Short Service Combatant Commission type of commission. This was the purpose of conversion and losing two years, six months seniority.
“A cursory look at the list (of retired officers) revealed that 17 of them are from the Southern part of the country while the rest are from the North. Our clients were not investigated for any infraction, indicted by a Court Martial or convicted by a disciplinary panel for any criminal breaches.”
It is not clear if the victims can get justice before the expiration of the life span of the current 8th National Assembly.
More Stories
High hopes for S’East women as IWA holds agro export summit in Enugu * NEPC, BOI, others pledge support * Mobilise women for commercial farming
IWA moves to empower Igbo women, holds agro-export summit October 31 * Requests 1000 hectares of land from S’East govs
ABIA: Abam Development Union dissolved, caretaker c’ttee named