A heavy security presence was observed around the Ministry of Defence in Abuja on Wednesday as retired military personnel prepared to protest over the non-implementation of pension adjustments tied to recent salary increases.
By 8 a.m., police officers, soldiers, immigration officials, and Vehicle Inspection Officers had taken positions along access roads to the ministry.
Two armoured personnel carriers and more than 15 patrol vehicles were stationed at strategic points, while armed soldiers patrolled the area.
The retirees, led by Col. Innocent Azubike (retd.), accuse authorities of failing to implement “consequential adjustments” to their pensions despite President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a military pay rise in November 2025.
Azubike said:“In November last year, the President approved a new pay increase for the military, and it came with a consequential adjustment for retirees. But suddenly, in July and August, it was not implemented, and they started changing their stories.”
He further expressed concern over another salary increase announced in August 2026, set to take effect in September, alleging that pensioners were excluded from the computation.
The retirees argue that the exclusion will create disparities, with newly retired personnel earning significantly higher pensions than colleagues of the same rank and service years who retired earlier.
Azubike stressed that the protest was not against salary increases for serving officers but a demand for fairness:
“We want pensioners to benefit from the corresponding adjustment. Otherwise, those retiring now will receive far higher pensions than their contemporaries who retired earlier.”
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