• How former military scribe sent 30 surgeons, generals packing

• Retirement not new in Army –Spokesman

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

There is tension in the Nigerian Army over alleged forceful retirement of 200 officers, which affected Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, among other junior officers.

Their retirement was conveyed to them in a September 27, 2017 letter,  by former military secretary (Army) Major General I. O. Rabiu.

Rabiu also handed the retirees an October 15, 2017 deadline within which to apply for voluntary retirement or be compulsorily retired from service.

He has since been moved from the office, Daily Sun gathered.

In the latest retirement which swept across commissions, the Nigerian Army Medical Corps was the most hit as  about 30 officers, mostly consultants, surgeons and other specialists were affected. 

It was gathered that in the latest exercise, commandants of army training schools across the country were sent packing, which prompted  the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, to probe the motive behind their retirement,  which was allegedly done “without the consent of the authorities.”

However, army authorities are uneasy with the latest exercise and may have taken steps to reverse the order. 

Sources hinted that most of the officers affected were those who attended the Nigeria Army Military School (NMS), Zaria, before joining the army and those who converted to executive commission, from soldiers, to become officers.

Also affected were Short Service Commission, Direct Regular Commission and Direct Short Service Commission officers.

Daily Sun gathered that trouble started for the former military secretary after some of the affected officers replied his retirement letter  and sent a copy to Buratai and other principal staff officers at the army headquarters in Abuja.

In the said letter, the affected officers appealed to Buratai to direct Rabiu to rescind the decision and withdraw the retirement notification.

They were also said to have pointed out Rabiu’s blunders, which was against the Harmonised Terms and Conditions Of Service (HTACOS) for Officers, 2012 (revised).

Upon receiving the letters, Buratai reportedly expressed shocked and distanced himself from the exercise.

To get to the root of the matter, the COAS was said to have immediately set up a panel headed by the newly-appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division of the Nigerian army, Kaduna, Major General M. Mohammed, as chairman, and five other senior officers with the rank of Brigadier General, to look into the matter  and make recommendations.

The panel’s October 18 report allegedly indicted Rabiu and added that the forced retirement of officers were “unwarranted  and capable of painting the army in bad light, in the eyes of the public” and advised the COAS accordingly.

Few days after the report, Rabiu was removed from office on October 26. He was, however, handed another appointment, although in an acting capacity. 

In his stead, Brigadier-General Yahaya was appointed acting military secretary. He assumed office on Monday, October 30.

It was also gathered that part of the committee’s recommendations is for the army authorities to withdraw the retirement letters “as their exit could crumble the service, especially at this time when the army is being over-stretched.”

Regardless, Daily Sun gathered that the army authorities may be conducting discreet investigation on the matter, “to unravel the circumstances behind Rabiu’s sole decision on such a sensitive matter.”

It was gathered that if the decision of the former military secretary is not reversed, over 400 officers would retire prematurely from the army in the next two years.

Investigations by Daily Sun revealed that Rabiu, who has been redeployed to the Defence Headquarters, had, in his letter of notification of retirement from service to the affected officers, with reference number AHQ MS/G1/300/, dated September 26 and 27, 2017,  respectively, cited the Public Service Rule (2008) edition, instead of the HTACOS for officers, 2012 (revised), as reference for their sudden retirement from service .

Whereas the Public Service Rule (2008) edition, states that “the compulsory retirement age  in the public shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever is earlier,” the HTACOS, in paragraph 02.04 (t), of paragraph D, stated that “pensionable service is military service with the period of cadet training, subject to the law in force minimum which is: service of a soldier/rating/airman, counts in full for Executive/SpecialDuty/Branch Commission, subject to the individual being commissioned immediately after such service without a break or on application as specified in Para 02.10 (f).”

The officers argued that the former military secretary breached the extant provisions of HTACOS for officers, 2012, misapplied PSR (2008), provisions of maximum length of service and age for retirement for officers and soldiers. They have now appealed to the army to direct Rabiu to rescind the decision and recall the retirement notification.

When contacted to find out whether the army intends to reverse Rabiu’s decision, Director of Army/Public Relations, Brigadier-General Sani Usman, simply said retirement is routine in the army.

“Whatever you were referring to is not true, but, retirements are routine activities in the Nigerian army and every officer is aware of when he is due for retirement; either by age or length of service,” said Usman.